Harry Who
by lucifael75
Summary: Harry is brought up with a very interesting Doctor, how will that effect the way he views the world in this AU.
1. Chapter 1

**TITLE**: Harry Who

**AUTHOR**: Lucifael ()

**WEBSITE**: See Profile Page

**DISTRIBUTION**: Where I put it only please, Fic Site, Perhaps FF dot net

**DISCLAIMER**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**SUMMARY**: Harry is brought up with a very interesting Doctor, how will that effect the way he views the world in this AU.

**FEEDBACK**: Please do send me feedback; it's the life's blood of fan fiction.

**CATEGORY**: Action/Adventure/Crossover

**RELATIONSHIPS**: H/Various

**RATING**: FR18 (M)

**SPOILERS**: Most HP Books and some seasons of Doctor Who

**WARNINGS**: AU times two.

**BETA**:

**NOTES**:

Apart from being an AU for who brought up Harry this is also one of those stories where I boost the starting age of Hogwarts to 16. I do this because to me it's a lot more interesting to see how a more adult Harry would view the world of Wizards and Witches especially this time given who he is brought up by.

I did try to write this story with Harry being eleven btw, but for some reason it just didn't work as well.

**Harry Who**

**Prologue**

_Godric's Hollow, Earth_

A man stepped out of a blue police box and looked around a pen like device leading the way as he walked up to a flaming house. His blue eyes were narrowed at whatever reading he was getting from the pen like device and as it buzzed in his hands he followed its lead. The exact way he was getting readings from it was unclear to anyone else but the man certainly seemed to be able to follow its direction.

"Strange," he murmured to himself getting closer to the flames of the building. The building itself was once a nice looking cottage but now it was a mess. The flames were only a part of that as the entire place looked like a war zone, something the man was more than a little aware of himself.

He walked closer to the burning building until suddenly the noise from his device changed and he looked sharply at the building. Suddenly he looked a lot more focused and aware of his surroundings than before and had an air about him of something indefinable, a feeling of a warrior going into battle.

Without thought of his own safety he suddenly ran into the burning building and disappeared into the flames, his leather jacket protecting him from the flames only a little, but that didn't hold him back in the least.

He was gone for a few short moments and then ran out of the building again, this time smoking slightly just as the upper floor seemed to sink into the lower with a resounding crash. In his arms was a small bundle of blankets with a small messy mop of hair sticking out of the top.

Getting clear of the building and towards his blue box the man stopped finally and looked down at the small bundle, using one hand to clear the young child's face from blanket as he did so. He showed a certain familiarity with children with that simple act. He looked down into the child's face and blue eyes met green and for a moment the entire universe seemed to freeze.

The man was a warrior and had just come from a long nasty war travelling alone in the void and space/time wandering it like a lost traveller for a few years already. Now he was looking at something he thought he had lost. A reason to go on, he tried to push that thought to the side, he had seen so much devastation and caused a great deal of it himself. Yet for some reason as he looked into those green orbs he couldn't just desert the child to his fate. He knew better than to get involved with people, and yet at the same time, there was something about this child that was calling to him. Some destiny derived pulse of energy in the tiny being that was telling the man that he had to care for him as his own, in fact do better than he had his own children. He had to care for, look out for and teach this child he could feel it with his races affinity for the space time continuum, or as they called it the void. Something was telling him that he had to do this, not only for the child but for himself as well.

He battled with the feeling for a few moments, telling himself what he should do is find a good family for the child and place him there. His life was nothing if not dangerous. It was certainly not suited for looking after a young child. Could he in his right mind protect this child properly? He did have the means in a sense. He had a home that was virtually indestructible after all; he could ask it to provide safety for the child while he wasn't there. Which was another thing; he had a life to make up for by looking after the universe which was his own personal way of making up for the crimes of his life, particularly in the near past. Then again, could he teach a human child? Humans were so very different from the children of his race. Their minds were hardly able to cope with their own view of the universe, could he teach a child, a human child to deal with the universe in which he walked.

Did he have the right to take this child away from the people that would doubtless be looking for him soon? That was the big question. His senses were screaming at him that this was a child of destiny, that he had to take him and take him soon or there could be great repercussions. This was no fixed point in time though; this was a decision that he alone had to make that could affect the way this child's entire life could become.

At the end of the day, he had to trust his instincts. He was probably the most evolved being in a several hundred mile radius of that point but he still had some very special instincts and they were all telling him that not only did he have to raise the child that he had to leave and leave as soon as possible.

So the man, known only as the Doctor, unlocked his police box and walked into the marvel of science closing the door behind him. Juggling the baby in his arms so he could program the console he entered a quick course and with a cyclic whirring groaning noise the TARDIS disappeared from the immediate time stream and into the void itself.

"Now what to do with you, and what to call you," The Doctor said with a slight smile, then using his latent talents he brushed the babies mind of recent events for a child's eye view of what had happened. His blue eyes turned to chips of ice as he watched the last few moments of a murder most foul and a flash of green that ended the memory. "Well Harry," he said having gotten the child's name from the horrible vision.

"Let's see if the old girl will make you a place to stay."

**Chapter One**

_Kalspan G Five, Day - 14 Years Later._

The sounds of a young man's laughter were getting ever closer to the Doctors ears as he lounged back against the side of the TARDIS. A smile grew on his face as he listened to the joyous sound and then he turned towards it. His eyes suddenly grew wide at the sight of his son in all but blood flying past him on the back of a six winged insect. Panic appeared in his expression for a moment but then he relaxed slightly against the hull of his trusty vessel once more. He knew Harry now well enough to know that if it flew then the young boy was safe. It was not the easiest thing to watch since he had to be doing well over 70 miles per hour but it was good for his soul to hear the laughter. The years previous were some of the best that the Doctor could ever remember in his 900 odd years long life.

There had been the usual terror filled moments of course, but somehow they had come through them together and become closer for it. Harry wasn't like any of the companions the Doctor had been with before. He was closer to him than any of them including his granddaughter oh so many years ago. Harry was the son he had always wanted in a way that he could not define even to himself. He was amazingly intelligent, almost up to the Doctor's high standards which was no mean feat for a human and had a wonder of the universe that reminded the Doctor why he bothered in the first place, this by itself was a balm to his weary soul. They had been from one end of time to the other and back together now and it saddened the Doctor to realise that shortly he had to travel back to earth soon and let his son find his destiny. Sometime in the early 18th century they had visited earth and found out a little about Wizards.

It had become obvious fairly early on that there was something very different about Harry. Floating the Doctor's sonic screw driver into his crib at a young age did lend itself to that theory. So the doctor had done all manner of tests on his young charge. Oddly enough he had found that Harry wasn't so different from himself after all. While a Time Lord in no way could be called a Wizard and a Wizard could not be called a Time Lord there were similarities there, the ability to manipulate certain types of energy being one of them. In effect Magic was just another type of energy that Harry was able to directly effect. Once the results were in The Doctor did some research back on Earth and throughout the ages to find what he needed to find. Several hundred books later into his personal library and he had a good grasp of what a Wizard, or Witch, was and how to look after one.

While the Doctor was interested in the wand theory he was having none of it for his son. He had started to teach Harry almost before he could walk to use that ability with energy in the same ways he himself had been taught and it had worked. After all, when he was a baby he had not needed a wand to move the sonic screw driver. So now Harry was quite able to directly manipulate the energy labelled Magic for ease of thought without a wand and was more than a little proficient at it as well, much to the Doctors pride and joy. That said; The Doctor knew that he had to let the young man find his own destiny back on earth which is why they had visited Earth back in the 18th century to find out about schooling. He knew from his reading of a school called simply Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They had found out that at age 16 Wizards and Witches were required to go to this school to learn their craft.

It had taken some soul searching to decide to let Harry go to the school, but in the end the Doctor had let Harry decide. In the end and regretfully, Harry had decided to go to the school.

This little journey to the pleasure Planet of Kalspan G 5 was the last hurrah in effect; before Harry's birthday. They were going to head back to Earth in order to be there for when he would get his letter. The Doctor wasn't entirely sure the magic would be able to track Harry properly or not in the TARDIS so they were going to spend time in the magical district of London called Diagon Alley. With luck the magic would find him just fine there. Still he would miss Harry a great deal during term time and wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do with himself. Though no doubt something would come up, it always did, especially in London.

"Harry," The Doctor called out, "It's time to go."

Harry who had been hovering nearby smiled slightly sadly and urged his mount towards the floor. Once there he leapt off the beasts back and gently rubbed its side. Being with the Doctor had taught him a great many things, one of which was to respect all forms of life in whatever form they took.

_Diagon Alley, London_

The Doctor's eyes were alight with his surroundings as per usual when he was with Harry. Something about the young boys exuberance just some to the kid inside of him and made the universe such a fresh experience. They had been in Diagon before in point of fact and it had hardly seemed to have changed at all. There were people in what appeared to be period clothing walking the streets and the shop fronts were straight out of a dickens novel. The Doctor's smile dimmed slightly at that. Had the Wizarding world moved on so little since their last visit to the Alley? Surely that could not be the case, outside in the so called Muggle world there had been great leaps of technological changes as well as the Socio-Economical changes that went along with them. But here in the Wizarding world it looked the same as it had nearly 200 years ago. Even the clothing was the same.

"Weird," Harry summed up his thoughts for him quite nicely.

The Doctor flashed his son a smile and strode out into the area around the TARDIS. The various fields around the TARDIS made sure that even the strange Wizards wouldn't notice something was off with a Police box, especially in their part of the town. Harry walked out behind him with a special bag over his shoulder that housed just about everything he owned in a single compact space. Once he had learned the principles behind the TARDIS and its interior himself he had created the almost bottomless bag using some of the Time Lords simplest technology. While he was only 16 Years old in a few days he was by any standards on Earth a genius.

"Come on, let's book a suite," The Doctor decided. As per usual on his travels he had managed to pick up the correct currency for the time and place via the TARDIS so money was no problem for them. With that thought in mind they looked at the various shops along the way towards the Leaky Cauldron the best place to stay in the area pointing out various things to each other.

"Ohhh," Harry said with a smile as they passed a pet shop.

The Doctor half turned, "What's up?"

"Isn't she beautiful," Harry said looking at the black snake in the window of the store.

"You and snakes, every single planet we go to and you find a snake or something like it to talk to." The Doctor paused for a moment, "Was it Palten Alpha they wanted to make you their god or was it Beta Nine I can never remember. Seen one binary system seen them all."

"Alpha," Harry supplied with a smirk on his young face. For an 15 year old he had a very mature outlook on life and a sense of humour to match it. "It was very tempting to stay. Some of the things they were offering seemed to make you blush and that's unusual to say the least."

The Doctor laughed and nodded, "When you're older I'll explain why," he said in mock seriousness.

Harry smirked, as if he didn't know already! "Can I get her?" he asked, the 'her' in this case obvious.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Just remember they have a thing about people that can talk to snakes here."

"I can talk to anything thanks to the TARDIS though." Harry said thoughtfully.

"And thanks to your key that should stay around, even when I have to leave. That said you need to be careful."

"Right-o," Harry said. His accent tinged the same way his adoptive father was, which oddly enough was of Northern England – Earth.

"But yes, you can get the snake." The Doctor said reaching into one of his seemingly bottomless pockets and pulling out the large gold coins that served as currency in the area. "Here," he said, "and don't be long."

Harry flashed a smile to his father and ran into the shop, only to appear with a shop keeper a moment later in the window and then disappear for a moment and reappear in the doorway with a wicker basket in hand and a whole lot of pinkies in the other.

The Doctor smiled indulgently at the young boy and pulled him in for a one armed hug, a move that had taken a long time for him to loosen up enough to do. "Just look after her and yourself this year."

"I will it's not likely to be as dangerous as some of the places we've been to now is it?"

The Doctor chuckled at that statement of fact and led his young charge towards the end of the Alley and the Goblin bank that resided there. "Now, I'm going to make sure you have a lot of money anyway, but let's see if you aren't owed some." The Doctor explained, "Then we'll go get a suite and wait. End of the day if it doesn't work I'll take you up there myself and we'll try to book you into the school by hand or something." He patted his pocket, "All access pass after all."

Harry laughed, "I wish I had one of them," he commented wryly.

"Give it time and I'll make you one. I don't want to make it EASY for you to get into trouble after all."

Harry laughed and followed his father up the stairs to the bank, glancing at the plaque on the way passed.

"Enter, stranger, but take heed

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn.

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there."

"They seem serious about security here." He commented wryly.

The Doctor smirked but didn't answer. Instead he led Harry over to a Goblin, a squat green creature and smiled at him gamely. "'Ello, names the Doctor and this," he leaned in, "Is Harry Potter."

The goblin's eyes widened a little at that, but thankfully didn't make any overt moves about it. "Do you have a key?"

"Er, No, but I'm sure such a long established bank such as this has safe guards against lost keys doesn't it?" The Doctor said pleasantly.

"Indeed, if you'll come this way," The Goblin said leadingly as he walked towards a room at the side of the hall they were in.

Once in the room the door closed behind them and the Goblin turned towards them with an angry expression on his face. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Harry Potter was recorded as being dead along with his parents some 1 5 years ago. Then you appear today claiming this young man is he. You can see why we would have a hard time believing such a story. I assure you that unless I get the answers to a few questions, you will not be leaving this room alive." The goblin said suddenly looking less like a teller and more like a dangerous warrior.

"Now wait a minute, we can prove who he is. Surely you have some way of checking he is who I say he is. We mean no harm here." The Doctor said, stepping in front of Harry slightly just in case.

"Yes, indeed we do. But this is highly irregular you'll understand and worse proves that old fool Dumbledore right if you are telling the truth!"

"Let's do the test, and then we'll explain what happened," Harry said from behind his father. He had learned some diplomacy at a very early age during an interesting episode some five hundred years in the future. "We will of course pay for the test as we can't expect the bank to be out of pocket on our account, and may I ask your name. My name is Harry and this is the Doctor as we said before."

The Goblin smiled slightly which was disturbing to watch due to the sharp teeth it displayed. Both the Doctor and Harry had long learned not to judge facial expressions on human norms though and took the smile to be what it was meant as. "Very well," the Goblin said. "My name is Griphook and I am a senior teller at Gringotts. If you pass the test we will have much to discuss. If not, then the discussion will be pointed and quick." Griphook told them leaving the room and the two of them to talk while he prepared the test.

"This is fun," Harry said, "Can't we go anywhere without getting into trouble?"

The Doctor laughed slightly, "Apparently not," he commented wryly.

Harry walked from behind his father and took a seat, picking up a magazine at random as he did so. "Will you look at this, quality broom supplies. They fly on brooms."

"No doubt you will be wanting one of those then?"

"Of course," Harry said with a big grin, "Wonder how fast they go."

"Too fast for my hearts no doubt." The Doctor commented as he too took a seat and grabbed a magazine at random. He made a face at the title and then settled down to read, 'Witch Weekly'

Ten minutes later Griphook came back in the room with a large crystal, several sheets of parchment rolls and a knife. "I have gathered the required testing equipment, shall we begin."

"What's the knife for?" The Doctor asked nervously.

"To gather a small sample of blood," Griphook told him.

"Blood, you have to use blood for the test?" The Doctor said looking a little horrified. Mumbling about antiquated systems and such things as Harry placed a hand on his arm to calm him.

"It is okay dad, I can do this."

The Doctor nodded and Griphook smiled slightly, "Take the knife and prick a finger then place the blood onto the crystal. Your entire linage will then be detailed on the scroll I will place beside the crystal. If you are who you say you are, this test will prove it without a doubt and is admissible to the ministry should you need it to be? You are after all, believed to be dead, except by some fringe members of society. If you are proven correct I will be most interested in hearing your story."

Harry did as he was told dropping several drips of his blood onto the top of the crystal which then began to glow. The glow grew brighter for several seconds before suddenly writing began to appear on the parchment beginning with some shocking names and then some moments later ending with Lily Evans and James Potter under his name.

"Interesting," Griphook said when he was sure the print out had finished. "This is most irregular. Would you mind performing another test for me?"

"Not at all Griphook," Harry said, "More blood?"

"Indeed, just give me a moment to reconfigure the crystal and we shall begin." Griphook them removed all traces of Harry's blood from the crystal and toyed with some of the runes on its base before placing a fresh sheet of parchment under the crystal. "When you are ready Mr Potter," he said confirming that he believed Harry and the Doctors claim now.

Harry repeated the pricking of his finger, this time his thumb and placing his drops of blood on the crystal and then sitting back and waiting for the print out to end.

"What's this test for?" The Doctor asked, now very curious.

Griphook looked a little shifty for a moment then replied. "This is an end of line test. Given some of the names that appeared on his lineage test I felt that Mr Potter would like to know what he is entitled to."

"I would, thank you Griphook for your thoughtfulness." Harry told the Goblin with a smile.

The test recorded its output onto the parchment for a little less time than before and the Goblin finally snatched up the sheet and sat back reading it for a long moment.

"How much do we owe you for the tests so far?" Harry asked.

"Given the information I am reading here Lord Potter, there is no need for us to charge you."

Both The Doctor and Harry picked up the obvious change in title and looked at the goblin questioningly.

Griphook placed the sheet flat on the table and pointed out the most pertinent information for them. "You are the heir for several of the larger families. This is probably due to the fact the Wizarding world has just been through two rather vicious wars in which several lines were ended and they go to you as the senior branch of the family. Had your father had done this test they likely would have gone to him but he never had the chance before he passed on."

"I see," Harry said as he simply nodded, "So this means?"

"That simply put you are very rich," the goblin said with another toothy smile, "and very important."

"Looks like I won't live off your money then dad," Harry said to his father with a grin.

"Much of the interesting information on these families would normally be locked to you, except for the fact that one or two of the families involved are Ancient and Noble lines. This requires the heir, which is you, to be immediately emancipated so you can take over running them immediately. You will also need to find wives as in plural at some point in the future for each of the ancient houses, this totals about 5."

"Five wives" Harry said looking scared stiff, "I'm only 15!"

Griphook smiled, "Never fear you have time on that yet. Until you are 21 to be precise, still young for a human I realise and given the multiple marriages involved this is of course quite a shock I'm sure."

"The snake people on Alpha will be disappointed," The Doctor commented with a grin.

"Very funny dad," Harry said with a grump. "So, let's think this through. What is the difference between me and a normal student given the emancipation?"

"Once you have your wand you will be able to do magic as you see fit. You can own and run companies, though I would suggest getting help and tutoring for that. You can take your seats on the Wizengamot and they have to accept your votes. There are various other things here about ownership etc. but I suggest you buy some books on the matter to read at your convenience. Time is money after all Lord Potter."

"Thank you for helping me with this Griphook, I would like to ask Gringotts to help me with the business aspect of my new responsibilities. Obviously given your position in the wizarding world you know more about the market than any other and are ideally placed to make my properties, businesses and anything else work for me. Of course I would be willing to pay you a percentage of my earnings." Harry said looking thoughtful. "What is the normal share?"

"2% Milord," Griphook said looking shocked. The money they were talking about if he made this deal would make Gringotts even richer.

"So as incentive I would say 3% sounds like a good deal to me." Harry said with a smile.

"I will arrange the paper work," Griphook said looking stunned.

"Good, now what else do I need to know?"

"Given your status vaults that would normally be closed to you are now open, and some of them are rather interesting. Somehow, given a quirk of breeding along the lines you are the heir to two of the founders of Hogwarts itself and Merlin himself. There are numerous other smaller families as well that it would do you as well to consolidate into your main vaults. I would suggest if I may, that you enlarge the Potter vault to take these lesser families. The other Ancient and Noble families need to remain as they are, but you are of course able to take anything you wish out of them. The Potter's themselves are in fact one of the noble houses. There could be fireworks when this gets out though which is why I did the second test with the Crystal. It is admissible in court and undeniable. If you wish Gringotts will deal with any legality for you."

"That sounds perfect; I am after all only 15 and this is quite a lot to deal with by myself. My adoptive father here will unfortunately not be around as often as either of us would like so I require all the help that Gringotts can give me. I am of course going to pay you for your help as this is a matter of business and of course business is important."

Griphook smiled again it was good to see a wizard that wasn't out to take advantage of them and saw business for what it was, "In the meantime milord I suggest you let us deal with consolidating your vaults into more manageable states and then revisit them later. In the meantime I can supply you with a special Gringotts wallet and card. The card works in either the Muggle or magical one. The wallet allows you to draw any currency straight from your vault."

"Sounds perfect, so for today we are done," Harry asked.

"Indeed milord."

"Then thank you for your time today Griphook and I look forward to dealing with you – personally – later on."

Griphook positively beamed.

-#-

The Doctor led Harry out of the bank after they had picked up Harry's wallet and some papers with a smile on his face. "Why are you smiling," Harry asked.

"That was brilliant," The Doctor replied. "You handled that perfectly. I'm so proud of you right now."

Harry blushed slightly under the praise and then beamed at his father. "Shall we get that suite and then go shopping?"

"Sounds like a plan!"

_Diagon Alley, Later that day_

After some lunch at the Wizarding pub The Doctor and Harry went back out into the Alley to do a little shopping. Since money was no object the first place they had hit was Flourish and Blotts the Wizarding book shop which had taken a hammering from the two intellectuals. A huge variety of books on a massive grouping of subjects was brought in duplicate. There was one copy for Harry's personal library and one for the TARDIS's library as well. Given that Harry was a genius of some calibre thanks to the Doctor's unique way of bringing him up he felt sure that he would be able to get through a good portion of the books before the term started. If push came to shove they could use the TARDIS to hover over a certain point in time and take their sweet time reading them all.

Things from there were going fairly normally for two people with a lot of money and a great curiosity for the world they were in. In other words a great deal of purchases were made and stored magically either in Harry's bag, or shrunken by shop keepers for them. Potions ingredients, books, pots and pans and a whole host of other things were brought with a smile and a quick rummage into Harry's wallet. He knew that he wasn't making a great dent into his money thanks to the statements he had received and the Doctor had insisted on buying a few things himself as well.

Then they ended up in a shop that sold trunks.

The Doctor looked up from reading a label with a strange look on his face, "Excuse me," he said to a shop keeper.

"Yes sir, how can I help?" the shop keeper said glancing at The Doctors clothing and mumbling about Muggleborns under his breath.

"This trunk here, is it actually bigger on the inside?"

"Yes sir, we can make trunks as large or small as we like with this thing we like to call Magic." The shopkeeper said sarcastically.

"So you don't use the theory of a tessaract then?" The Doctor said before launching into science that even Harry was having a hard time keeping up with.

The shopkeeper looked at the strange looking Muggle man as if he had grown another head and then finally shook his head. "I'm sorry I don't understand all that. We just cast the spells."

"You don't understand what you're doing when you do that?" The Doctor asked flabbergasted.

"Only that the inside is bigger than the outside. We can also add a variety of features such as auto shrinking charms and even if you so wish an entire abode with labs etc. inside the trunk."

At that point Harry became very interested in what the man was saying. "Such as…" he said leadingly.

The shopkeeper saw a chance of a possible sale and launched into his spiel. "We can place inside a single compartment of a multi compartment trunk an entire mansion sized abode with such things as Potions laboratories, Herbology Greenhouses with simulated environments, bedrooms, training rooms and even if the price is right we can add special spells that will change how time flows inside the trunk."

This got the Doctors attention again, "To what degree?"

"The largest disparity we have managed is a day to an hour. That is to say one 24 hour day inside the trunk to a single hour outside of it."

The Doctor spared a glance with his son that said he wanted one to pull apart.

"I want one trunk with space expansion charms and time charms, nothing else. I then want one that has everything you can put on it, with multiple compartments, one for the abode and one for my school things and another for general storage. I want a library in the abode as well as two labs, one for potions, and one for general use. I want the biggest expansion charms you can do and for the abode I want the best Time charms you have, that I can turn off if the need arises. I also want the best security you have and auto shrinking and weight reduction charms if you've got them. How much will that all be?" Harry said.

"That will be two Million Galleons." The shopkeeper said after doing a few quick calculations.

"Cash or card," Harry asked with a small smile on his face.

The shopkeeper swallowed past a sudden lump in his throat at the thought of the commission coming his way.

As they finished placing the order which would take a day to complete, and walked out of the shop Harry turned to the Doctor and asked, "You don't have a problem with me messing with time do you?"

"Normally I would, but I want to see what sort of results they get. I take it the plainer trunk is for me?"

"It is I figure you want to pull it apart and see how it works. Then make improvements to mine," Harry said with a cheeky smile.

"I have a few ideas, given what I know about your energy manipulation type." The Doctor admitted with a straight face before grinning, "But be careful with the time, what was it – charm, you could age before your time it doesn't sound like the TARDIS where you can enter the time stream at any point, you are living your life on fast forward in the Trunk and then entering the time stream only moments after you left. You will age inside the trunk prematurely."

Harry nodded, "I get that, and I will be careful, but having a mobile house like that sounds right useful to me. I can keep everything I brought with me in one place as well as having a bolt hole if I need it. In fact since I asked for everything they have on the second trunk I'm not even sure of everything it will have yet." He laughed, "Will be a lot of fun finding out though." He paused before adding, "I wonder if you can park the TARDIS in there?"

"Interesting thought," The Doctor admitted, "Let's find out when you get the trunk. Strictly speaking if they use the method I think they use there is no limit to the recursion of trunks you could have in a trunk, though it would give you a headache working it out. So the TARDIS should in theory be able to park anywhere in that pocket dimension if I can find it. Given that Pocket dimensions aren't like other dimensions in that they were closed after the time war, then yes I should be able to find it."

"Cool, then you could visit easily at any time," Harry said with a happy smile on his face.

"Like anything could stop me anyway," The Doctor commented.

Harry smiled at his adoptive father and then looked around, "We have a few hours before closing shall we go clothes shopping. I think by the look of things clothing here is a bit different from what I'm used to. Without the TARDIS around to make people not notice anything strange about me that is," Harry said the last with a laugh.

"Good idea." The Doctor said simply walking off towards a shop marked 'Madam Malkins Robes for All Occasions'.


	2. Chapter 2

_**AN: There seems to be some confusion about the AU'ness of this story. Just to clarify yes they start Hogwarts at 16 in this story, it's not a mistake on my part or Harry and the Doctor's either. For a full explanation of why I have done this as well as a few other notes check out my blog. You can access it via my profile page. You may think this change is just too weird but I would ask you to read my explanation for it then perhaps it won't be as weird.**_

**_Lu_**

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**Chapter Two**

_The Leakey Cauldron, Diagon Alley_

Harry awoke the day of his birthday with a smile on his face. He was now officially sixteen years old. He usually enjoyed his birthdays, though given the time travelling he had done with his father it was actually quite hard to keep track of when they were. This time was different though, it was a bittersweet birthday this one, because he was going to be away from his father for the first time in his memory. He knew the story of how he had been picked up of course, he knew his entire history thanks to the research they had done especially recently. That didn't help with the ache he felt in his heart when he realised that at the end of summer he wouldn't see his father until at least Christmas and probably not even then. It was likely that he wouldn't see him until the following summer holidays. He knew his father well and he knew the sort of adventures he got caught up in and he would miss being caught up in them himself. He knew his father was very important to the world he was now on given how many times he had saved it. Given how many times he had saved many worlds in point of fact. That said a small selfish part of him was going to miss the time they spent together.

"Up you get lazy bones," a call came from outside his door.

With a smile Harry leapt out of bed and grabbed his glasses before walking out into the shared space of the suite to give his father a hug. Already laid out was a nice full English breakfast which was one of Harry's favourite meals. After the hug ended The Doctor pulled his still sleepy son to the table and made him sit down. "Here," he said, "This arrived for you about half an hour ago."

"What time is it?" Harry asked eyeing the green inked envelope carefully. He flipped it over and spotted the Hogwarts seal on the back. Apparently someone at Hogwarts didn't agree that he was dead, probably this Dumbledore that Griphook had mentioned. He was apparently the headmaster of the school after all.

"Nine and we knew this was coming," The Doctor said after a moment's silence.

"I know but now it's real I am not so sure I want to go anymore," Harry admitted.

"You're a child of destiny Harry I felt that when I first met you and I think this goes towards that destiny." The Doctor said then smiled slightly, "Though I don't really want to let you go either."

Harry smiled at his dad for a moment, "We could float around the galaxy for a while, then come back to this time and place later on."

"No, this is the right way to do it." The Doctor insisted.

"I know," Harry admitted.

"Well – open it," The Doctor pressed with a smile. "Then we'll get to the gifts part of the day."

Harry smiled; his father always gave the best gifts. He slit the envelope open with a thumb nail and read it over for a moment. "Interesting," he said finally. "Looks like a standard letter. Somehow I was expecting something else. At least it's addressed correctly though."

Harry waved the envelope which was addressed to Lord Potter, Room 5, The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley.

The Doctor held out his hand and Harry passed over the letter while contemplating what exactly to do. This was a moment of decision, a nexus in the time vortex that his father had talked about and he knew that. He could send a refusal back from the local post office and just run off with his father. Despite what the Doctor had said Harry knew that he would take him anywhere he wanted to go. He could in fact go live out his life on a random planet if he so wished at this point in time. So he was a child of destiny according to his father, but neither of them knew what that destiny was truly about. Even as the thought rolled through his head Harry knew he could not do it though, he knew somehow that Hogwarts was the place he had to go to follow that destiny. It wasn't about the schooling really. Thought learning how to use a wand would be interesting for sure. He already had control of his abilities and a few other things thanks to his father. It was about destiny, plain and simple.

"Think they'll let you off the snake thing?" The Doctor asked with a smirk.

"They have to; I'm not leaving Ella here. If push comes to shove I can keep her in my trunk."

"True," The Doctor agreed, "Better get something else then, what about a cat? I like cats."

"Could do," Harry said thoughtfully. "According to some of the theory books they can help with spell casting."

"Can't see how, but then half of the theory isn't very good science."

"They do rely on it being 'Magic' and not exploring the underlying science of it all." Harry commented, "But that's one of the reasons I wanted two labs in the trunk."

The Doctor smiled at his young protégé, "Good thinking, let me know what you find out."

"So – you mentioned gifts?" Harry said with an eager smile.

The Doctor grinned at his son, "I think you're old enough." He said passing over a long slender package to his son that he retrieved from his inside pocket.

Harry looked at it curiously, and then tore off the packaging to find a velvet case. He opened it and his eyes shot wide, "My own sonic screw driver!"

"Made it especially for you, you remember how to use one I hope?"

"Of course, but dad this is – amazing, thank you," Harry said looking at the mostly chromed device in shock. It was smaller than his father's, but other than that it was almost identical.

"I adjusted it to work with your own energy as well. So you should be able to use it to focus your spells if the need arises." The Doctor informed him with another of his patented grins. "Of course it'll do everything else a Sonic Screwdriver will as well."

"This is amazing – thanks dad," Harry said beaming at his father and diving around the table to grab the Doctor into another hug.

"There is one other thing as well. This one is for my own peace of mind as well." The Doctor said handing a small object on a chain to Harry once the hug was finished.

"What's this," Harry asked.

"It's an emergency beacon. Press the button and I come running," The Doctor said seriously. "No matter when, or where I am that will pull me and the TARDIS to you."

"Thanks dad, I'll only use it in a real emergency," Harry said seriously. "I know your work is important."

"Not as important as you are Harry," The Doctor said seriously. "Anytime you need me, use it."

"I will, thank you dad."

"Now, your trunk should be ready – how about we go pick that up and spend the day sorting it out for you."

"You're just keen to get your hands on the one I brought for you." Harry said with a grin.

"Maybe – just a little"

-#-

A few hours later and the two of them were looking at two identically sized trunks and thick users manuals that came with them with smiles on their faces. They both had an insatiable curiosity but they had decided that it would be a much more intelligent thing to read the books before they just dived into the trunks.

"Did you know," Harry said reading from the manual, "This trunk will be keyed only to me using my blood and magical signature."

"That could be a problem with landing the TARDIS." The Doctor commented.

"I can key you in to the wards as well, as a visitor apparently and give you levels of access." Harry said, "Obviously I'd give you full access, but given the TARDIS is a living being in effect do you think we'll need to key it into the wards as well?"

"Maybe, I'll do some experimentation using my trunk as well." The Doctor said thoughtfully.

"Also, the environment inside the Herbology greenhouses is under my direct control. I could grow alien plants in there if I'm reading this right."

"Brilliant"

"Anything interesting about your trunk in specific," Harry asked.

"No, it's not as interesting as yours," The Doctor said, "Just expansion charms and time dilation charms."

"No wonder my manual is thicker than yours, this thing has everything in it. Even something called Floo travel. This apparently is the way Wizards can travel from address to address in the Floo network."

"Is it secure," The Doctor asked.

"Apparently it is, only people keyed into the wards can enter, which would be you and I."

"Excellent, of course according to most I'm a Muggle." The Doctor said with wry humour aplenty.

"I don't think you really qualify for that title dad," Harry said with a smirk. "Right," he said standing up and walking to his trunk. "Let's key myself in first of all."

The Doctor watched his son very carefully as he placed his hand on a special metal plate and winced as some blood was taken, "Key in Harry Potter – owner."

The trunk flashed with a red light for a couple of pulses and then went back to the way it was. "Dad, put your hand next to mine." Harry told his father.

The Doctor, with an eager smile, did as he was asked, "Key in The Doctor, full authorisation." Harry said. The trunk pulsed again and then faded back to normal. "Shall we?"

"Let's"

Harry used his key to open the abode compartment and opened the lid to find a ladder leading down into darkness. "Freaky."

"Well go on," The Doctor said still eager.

Harry smiled at his father and then went down the ladder and disappeared out of view. "Holy crap," his voice said floating up from the trunk. "You have got to come and see this dad."

The Doctor didn't need to be invited twice and quickly made his way down the ladder. Once he was past the darkness he found himself stepping into a plain looking but impressive looking hallway. "Interesting." He said looking at his son.

"Isn't it?" Harry said sounding excited.

"Shall we explore?"

"I just need to turn on some stuff," Harry said walking over to a plain black panel, "You might want to record this with your screwdriver." Harry said pulling out his own as he placed the other hand on the panel. "Harry Potter, initiate Time Dilation Charm Full power." There was a flash of light and then a hum of power started up in the area.

The Doctor was already taking readings with his Screwdriver and seemed very interested in the results he was getting back. Harry glanced at his and decided the science could wait for now. He was more interested in checking the place out. Off of the hallway were various doorways that led who knows where, so picking one at random Harry walked towards it and grabbed the doorknob in one hand and pointed his screwdriver with the other. "No idea what room this is, no internal plan. I have a feeling it's all a bit random when they make these." He said to his father who was looking around with great interest on his face and his own sonic screwdriver leading the way.

"A little like the TARDIS do you think; grown with a vague design in mind?"

"Could be, it would be shocking to find out that Magic is mirroring technology from a much more advanced race." Harry commented opening the doorway and walking in to what appeared to be a Potions Lab from the layout and the contents of the room. "Huh, they fitted it already." He said looking at the cauldrons and fires laid out into black marble tables even spaced out in the medium sized room. The light was clear enough to see by and quite cool for the ingredients to stay fresher. "I should have brought some parchment and some tacks or something."

The doctor flashed a smile and delved into one of his seemingly endless supplies of pockets and brought out a pen and Post-It note pad. "Never leave home without them," The Doctor said jovially.

Harry smirked and took the pad from his father and jotted down, 'Potions Lab' and affixed it to the doorway. "I'll make some proper plaques at some point," he noted to himself. He glanced around the room one last time taking note that there was a storeroom for ingredients that seemed to be climate controlled and a retractable blackboard with a floor plan on it for keeping track of brewing.

"Next room," Harry asked.

"Why not," The Doctor replied.

The next room they tried appeared to be a large empty space with a fire place. Harry labelled this one as the living room and vowed to buy some furniture later that day. The way things were already shaping up he had a feeling that he would need to buy quite a bit of furniture shrink it, carry it down and then expand it in place in his abode. The next room was the plain lab and had worktops around the edges of the room in the same dark marble as before and a matching storeroom but was otherwise unworthy of note at that moment. Harry was going to have to get some serious equipment in that room from some speciality suppliers. Luckily his father was the sort of man that knew a man that knew a man that owed a favour to the Doctor. So getting the equipment wouldn't be hard. What would be hard would be powering it. "Hey dad," Harry said pondering that problem as they stood in the centre of the room.

"Yes Harry," The Doctor said leaning against a worktop.

"Two things or maybe three, I need some special equipment here, stuff for reading high energy and the alike, can you source that for me?"

"I can make most of it in the TARDIS," The Doctor replied.

"Thing is according to 'Magical Theory, A Discussion' Magic and electricity don't mix."

"I suspect that is because the electrical components they tried weren't properly shielded from the magical energy. I can likely get around that NO problem." The Doctor said buffing his nails on his black leather jacket. "I know a thing or three me." He boasted with a grin.

Harry laughed, "So I can get some power into this place with what a normal generator. I'm thinking a fairly low tech cold fusion engine would be best considering the fact I have no ventilation in here."

"Think you can make it?"

Harry looked affronted, "Dad you had me making those before I could walk properly."

"True, well if you can have power I say wire the place up so you can have some modern day comforts."

"I'm thinking no TV signal here though dad."

"Hack into a satellite then, use a tachyon pulse dynamic aerial. Uplink with a satellite TV company and presto bob's your uncle, TV and internet come to think of it."

"That's stealing," Harry pointed out with a smirk.

"So buy a subscription at your address, no one need know where you're actually picking the signal up from now do they?"

"True," Harry admitted he could do that. They had already talked about setting up a fake id for him in the Muggle world through which he could have contact with it and more importantly make use of Muggle modern luxuries and have a place to stay if his father wasn't able to pick him up during the holidays. His fake ID would essentially be an of age person, of 18 in the Muggle world and given what Harry could handle the Doctor felt safe in letting him have a bolt hole if the need arose.

"By the same token you could set up a computer in here as well, I'm sure I can knock something together for you."

"It doesn't have to be steam punk does it. If I've got a super powerful futuristic computer I would like it if it at least looked the part. The TARDIS has a typewriter on it for god's sake and it's some of the most advanced tech in the universe."

"Fine – be boring."

"I will," Harry shot back with a smirk.

"Next room," The Doctor asked eyes alight with their mini adventure.

The next room turned out to be a duelling room with many automatons in it for duelling against, a magical range that showed a school based on the power and accuracy of the cast and a host of other little goodies that would help with offensive and defensive duelling.

Once they had explored that they found one of the six bedrooms in the place, the first they came upon just had to be the master. It was huge with enough room for a massive bed and had an en-suite bathroom.

"Okay, now they've got me. I like to think of myself as an intelligent bloke." The Doctor said, "But where the hell does it go when you flush?"

Harry obviously didn't have an answer to that. The next room also raised some interesting questions as it appeared to be a full spa and swimming pool.

"If I shrink the trunk and then play catch with it – does the water fall out of the pool and if so why doesn't the trunk get flooded." Harry asked his father.

The Doctor shrugged and said, "Magic?"

"Now we're doing it. Magic is a quantifiable energy source that I can manipulate and you can as well with the right tools. It's not some deity that does our bidding. It's like someone casts a spell and magic almost seems to understand the intent of the spell even if it's not specifically stated mentally or verbally. Either that or there is more at work here than we know." Harry said with a scientific light behind his eyes. "I've noticed these around the place," he said walking to one of the doorways and pointing to what appeared to be a set of ancient writings. "They look like Norse runes." He commented. "Two odd things here; One, I can see them and I don't think I should be able to since they are a little Fuzzy and two, the TARDIS isn't just translating them for us. I have no idea what that says, or what it's supposed to do."

"Something to learn and look into then," The Doctor said encouraging his son to think for himself and work it out for himself as well.

"I will dad; it just bugs me the way that Magic is bandied about like it's a cure all when in fact it's just one of many types of energy. A very special type obviously and a very powerful one too in the right hands that much is obvious given what we're standing in. That said it is like Wizarding kind doesn't understand the first thing about what they are really dealing with."

The Doctor smiled at his son and nodded to encourage him to continue.

Harry shrugged though, "That's all I've got so far, but it is something that I will certainly be looking into more. I'm going to spend some time – when I find it – putting my library together and then reading every single book in here. After all I've got a month or so until school starts."

"Just remember what I said about aging, though come to think of it I think I know a way around that." The Doctor said clicking his fingers.

"Oh?"

"Before the Time Lords learned how to regenerate they experimented with other ways of slowing the aging process. If I remember correctly there was a way to slow the aging process right down using an item of jewellery with a special stasis field attached to it. Let me look into that Harry and I'll make you one, if I can find the information. The problem as I remember it was that it only slowed the process down didn't stop any of the other death methods, you know sudden death, disease and the alike and it could only be worn for about 100 years."

"That doesn't sound so bad, not for my uses at any rate."

"Let me do my research – tonight, and we'll see what tomorrow brings you as a late birthday present. I want to do a few things on the TARDIS anyway. Will you be joining me?"

"If it's alright dad I'd like to stay in here and sort my library, when I find it. Before we go planning the night though can we finish in here and then go buy some furniture?"

The Doctor laughed, "I feel like I'm helping my son set up his first place already - you're only 15!"

"In a way I suppose we are. I was going to spend at least one day in here a day for outside at school, so I'll be in here at least as long as I will the school."

"Oh - you were, were you? What did I say about the aging process?"

Harry smiled with boyish charm, "But you've sorted that."

"Uh huh, words – later, for now let's finish exploring."

_Harry's Trunk; Later that night_

After they had finished exploring Harry and his father had indeed gone out and done some serious shopping for furniture. Which included everything his large home could need and luckily they had managed to get it all with shrinking charms on as well. In truth the furniture in the place was going to be an eclectic selection of antiques as there was no MFI, or Ikea, in the Wizarding world. That said it gave the place a very real feeling of home they had even got a few rugs for the floors and a nice grate for the Floo fireplace as well as the all-important Floo powder as well.

Currently Harry was rapidly filling and filing his growing book collection into the Library and the many book shelves they had filled it with. The room was by far the largest of them all and was in fact split over three levels. How they managed that when the rest of the place was on a single level Harry didn't want to think about. They were breaking most of the known human laws of physics like it was nothing in the Wizarding world and they didn't care a jot, so if they didn't – nor did Harry.

That said he was a long way from being able to fill all the shelves they had brought and even further away from being able to fill the library.

They had also gotten a nice large bed with linens for each of the bedrooms with an especially huge one for Harry's room. They had placed all the ingredients they had brought for potions as well as any ready-made potions into the specially made potions lab and even tinkered with one of the potions workstations knocking up a simple brew from a book and then storing it for testing later. In fact the only place that had yet to be kitted out was the Herbology greenhouses which stood bare and un-primed at that moment in time.

Just then there was a knock at the door to the library which brought Harry from the easy monotony of filing and shelving books. "Urh - come in," Harry said a little fuzzily. He had been working pretty much on autopilot for a long time. It had been so long in fact that when he moved even his body complained.

"You still at it," The Doctor asked walking in and letting out a whistle. "This room still gets me and that's with knowing what the TARDIS is really like inside." He looked around and smiled, "You have been hard at it. You know it's been several hours out there, have you stopped at all?"

"I got hungry a little while ago," Harry admitted sheepishly, "Of course I've been to the loo a fair bit too, just didn't notice the time."

The Doctor shook his head, "Well I come bearing gifts, but I don't want you working on this anymore tonight – look at you, you're knackered."

"Gifts first," Harry asked hopefully.

The Doctor eyed him then cracked a smile, "Alright, here – first the bracelet thing, is the field I talked about before. Remember to only turn it on when you're in here. I tuned it to work of the Magical energy as a power source. I found out that was one of the failings of the original that it required a massive power source, well just so happens that your ambient magical energy should fit the bill perfectly."

"Brilliant," Harry said with a grin.

"That's not all, I was in the Library anyway and I found that I had quite a few duplicates," The Doctor said tossing a carpet bag onto the floor just in front of Harry. It made very little sound, but given what the Doctor had just said Harry was aware that it was likely a special bag much like his own built one. "There's everything from the Theory of Time Lord Tessaracts to William Shakespeare's sonnets in there."

"Thanks dad, that's brilliant." Harry said grabbing the bag in a move to start filing it away.

"Ah, ah" The Doctor said. "First a meal, then sleep then tomorrow we go shopping for your school stuff and more importantly a clock that will work down here. Then you can come back."

"But Dad," Harry whined.

"No, come on."

"Okay dad."


	3. Chapter 3

**Harry Who**

**Chapter Three**

_The Leakey Cauldron, Diagon Alley_

Harry sat with his father going over the list for his school things as an after shopping exercise. Beside them they had the remains of a bang up meal supplied by Tom, the barkeep who appeared to own, run and serve for the establishment. Beside Harry was a new wicker basket in which a small black kitten was fast asleep. This would be his actual school familiar and would help him cast, whereas Ella his Egyptian asp would be his pet/companion. Harry had yet to decide on a name for the cat at that point and even while they were checking the list it was a running competition on who would come up with the best name for the moggy.

"Tobias," The Doctor said, "I think we got that may as well tick it off."

"It's a girl, we can't call it that and are you sure I don't remember getting that at all."

"Are you sure it's a girl?"

"Yes I'm sure, Ohhh we can get that one tomorrow I wanted to go to the book shop again anyway."

"Then how about Elizabeth, nice girl that, a little wild but nice with it"

"I don't want to know," Harry said sparing his father a glance, "anyway I don't like it. How about Bzzrtzz,"

"You can't name a cat after a despot from the Orion cluster."

"I don't see why not," Harry said grumpily before cracking a grin.

"Mary, a very good queen of the scots you know."

"No, no historical figures I don't want to associate with, the woman never bathed."

"Honestly Harry!"

"Darla?"

"Darla, who the hell is Darla," The Doctor asked.

"Just a nice name is all." Harry said with a shrug.

"No, just no. Next you'll want to call it Bunny or something."

"Heh, Bunny the cat, might as well call it Mickey Mouse the Cat."

The Doctor snorted, "Or rat cat."

"I know let's call her cat"

"Cat, Just Cat," The Doctor asked.

"Descriptive you have to give me that."

"I quite like it actually."

"Nah I was kidding if I was going to call it that I may as well go the whole hog and call it Kitty"

"Perfect"

Harry blinked and then smiled, "Again – it's accurate and easy to remember."

"Sounds like a plan then," The Doctor said beaming at his son. "We didn't get that one."

"Bugger," Harry said, "I need that for potions. How did we miss that?"

"We were distracted by the ingredients if I remember correctly. It was like an alien market in there."

"True, okay we'll grab that one tomorrow as well – other than that I think we got it all."

"Yep, so what now?"

Harry looked at his father with puppy dog eyes.

"Only I would have a son desperate to get back to a time dilated box with a library in it." The Doctor said thoughtfully.

"You know, talking about my trunk. There are a few things that are bothering me about it."

"Oh, like what?"

"Well like how you get inside for instance. It's a bit awkward." Harry said tapping his chin in thought. "I'm also worried just how good the security is and I'm worried that the aerial might not work very well through the distortion."

"That last one is easy enough to sort out I suppose. We could attach something to the outside to boost the signal. To help your security you could also add one of those what was it? Oh yeah, Notice me not charms to the trunk."

"Not very good at naming things are they the Wizards."

"Not really, but don't forget you're about to become a wizard now, you shouldn't talk about them in the third person like that. You're one of them now really." The Doctor warned his son.

"I'm a little worried that I won't fit in with them," Harry admitted, "I mean look at the things I have seen and done in my life so far."

"I know how you feel," The Doctor sympathised, "You can't let it get to you though, you have to take each day as it comes, enjoy every moment as if it were your last and hold onto the people around you. I know you Harry, and you are bound to make friends in this new world you're exploring and I think that will help you get through it all. Now enough of the worry, let's have a think about the problems you have with your trunk and see if we can't fix them."

Harry smiled at his father and nodded, feeling a little better about it all with the little pep talk he had gotten.

_Harry's Trunk, The Next Day_

Harry slid one more volume into place, one of his new purchases that day and looked around. He had quite a few shelves full of books now and his library was almost filed properly. That said he still had not even taken up most of the first floor as yet and knew it was going to take him a while to really fill it up, perhaps even a life time. The Doctor was currently in 'time Orbit' over that time and place working on a few things for his son, leaving Harry do sort out a few last things to finish off his home away from home. In a way it was only fitting that his new home was a box that was too small to fit the space it had inside in, and Harry felt almost nostalgic about that fact. It even had a way of travelling in time in a way which just made Harry smirk to think about.

He walked from the library, glancing back at the hundreds of volumes with a smile. He knew the value of knowledge and was looking forward to working through a great many of the volumes he had available before term started.

Hogwarts, even the name sounded fun, though he felt it was more of a college than a school. Then again it was teaching first time magic users from scratch so he supposed it made more sense to call it a school. The Magical Core of a human with the ability to focus and manipulate magical energy came into its own at the age of 16 and then became more powerful until the age of 21. This correlated with the magical age of majority in the UK of 21. Of course in the Muggle part of England it was only 18, but then the magical society was older and fixed back in time somewhat. It did make sense as well given the end of the learning process would also end up being 21 as well. The one thing Harry was not worried about was school. He enjoyed the challenge of learning and felt that he was well equipped to the task. It would be a fresh experience to him as well, for while he could manipulate the energy himself without a wand, he had no idea how to with a wand. A wand acted as both a focus and a force multiplier and Harry was looking forward to seeing what difference it made to his use of magic.

He palmed the black panel by the doorway of his library and turned out the magical lighting putting the entire room into darkness and walked towards his kitchen. He was in full time dilation at the moment and had been hard at work for most of the day. His father and he had managed to find a clock that was able to tell the time in the field and another was set to show the time out of the field meaning that Harry would no longer have to work it out on the fly. Instead he could just look in the hallway and check the time when he felt the need. Working with the old clockwork mechanism had been a great deal of fun as well as Harry was used to much more modern devices but the old clockwork was one of the more interestingly complex devices he had toyed with lately he had to admit.

Harry reached the kitchen and started up the magical stoves as soon as he walked into the room, throwing together the makings of a fried breakfast and whistling to himself as he did so. He knew he should eat better than a fry up, but at the same time he was a teenager and enjoyed his luxuries.

Twenty minutes later he was sat at his antique oak kitchen table and scoffing food while thinking about what he wanted to do that day. He had placed a runic notice me not charm by following the examples in a book the night before on his trunk so the security was a little improved. The Trunk itself was warded to hell and back from outside interference but Harry felt it absolutely 100% important that the trunk was secure as secure could be. To that end he was going to research runes, warding and any security charms that he could find in his library and then he was thinking about contacting the Goblins to help him out. Apparently they had all sorts of services including warding properties and the alike. Harry knew that because his trunk was mobile the security may have to be sacrificed slightly but was bound and determined to get the best he could. Something just told him that it was vitally important to do so.

Which brought him to the mobile part of the security; he had read the night before about necklaces and other jewellery that could be vanished until the wearer wanted them to be seen. He felt that this would be an excellent way of storing not only his trunk but also his emergency beacon his father had given him. To that end he decided that when he had finished breakfast he was going to nip back into Diagon Alley and try to get his emergency beacon charmed in such a way with a fitting that he could attach his trunk to as well. Concealing it about his person at all times had several advantages that Harry could see especially if he could have it charmed so only he could remove the item of jewellery himself.

He had a theory about the mechanism for entering the trunk as well, and that was one of the things his father was looking at helping with. While The Doctor was no wizard he was experienced with manipulating energy using a variety of tools and in some cases just plain being able to do it with his body. Regeneration was just another form of energy manipulation after all, though one Harry hoped to never see up close and personal. For in a way he would lose his father that day.

Harry shook off that thought, he knew that day would come one day but he had no wish to think about it if he could at all help it. The important thing to remember, that while the Doctor would regenerate into almost a different person, he would always still be The Doctor and thus Harry was unlikely to lose his father anytime soon.

_Diagon Alley_

Harry walked into a magical jeweller and waited to be served. He cast an expert eye over the displays and looking over what they had to sell. Most were quite expensive items with a few so called school items as well each with the crests of the four houses on them or small snakes, badgers, and a lion as well as the eagle of Ravenclaw. Harry did think about getting one for a moment but since he had no idea what house he would be in at that point in time decided to not bother until he knew for sure. They were quite nice items and he figured that it would be good to show school spirit and house spirit for that matter by having a little badge type item or the alike when the time came. The fact that he could also have them charmed with a variety of charms did not go amiss either. Small protection spells and alert spells and a whole host of other small charms could be added to the items that would come in useful.

"Young sir, how can I help you today," A shopkeeper asked when he finally got around to Harry.

"I would like to buy that," Harry said pointing to something he knew he would be able to attach his trunk to. "I would also like to have this," he pulled out his beacon on its chain," charmed against a few things and a few spells added to it."

"Such as young master," the man asked with a smile.

"I would like to make sure only I can take it on or off and I would like to make it invisible to anyone other than myself. It needs to be charmed in such a way that it will securely be on me with no one knowing it is there with no hope of anyone taking it from me. With the item I pointed out attached as well so that it is covered as well."

"We can do that for you young master, it won't be cheap though around 800 galleons for such work."

"How long will it take, I would be unhappy to have to go without this for any amount of time," Harry admitted.

"We can do the work out the back in about half an hour and you can stay and watch if you like."

"Excellent, can we do that then please," Harry said pulling out his Gringotts card.

Half an hour later and Harry placed the necklace over his neck and it glowed briefly before disappearing from sight, Harry knew it was still there but to anyone else it was as if it had never been there at all. This was just what Harry had wanted.

He bid farewell to the shopkeeper and made his way towards Gringotts and hopefully a more warded trunk, which he had in his pocket.

_Harry's Trunk, The Next Day_

"Hello Harry, give me a hand a minute will you?" The Doctor said walking into the living room of the trunk and smiling at his trunk.

Harry leapt up from reading his book and walked behind his father as he was led to the exit and up into the main time stream after turning off the time dilation. "Wait halfway up, I've made it all pretty light but it's a still not as light as I would like." The Doctor said.

Harry noticed that the TARDIS was parked in their suite rather than where it had been before and that his father was starting to ferry equipment out of the police box and towards Harry.

Harry took each piece of equipment as it was passed to him and ferried it down into his trunk's hallway before popping back up and grabbing the next item.

In all there was a good forty items as well as what looked to be the parts for a computer system and oddly enough a coffee machine. "Urh dad, what's the coffee machine for?"

"I had one, thought you might like it," The Doctor commented with a grin.

Harry laughed and nodded, "When I've wired the place for power this will come in handy for late night study sessions," he noted.

"That's what I thought," The Doctor said passing more of the computer system to Harry to place down in his trunk.

After another twenty items he was done and they entered the trunk together. The hallway was filled with scientific equipment that the doctor had made himself. So for the most part it looked like it had been cobbled together out of spare parts and was probably the height of technology for the entire area, apart from the TARDIS herself.

The two of them shifted the lot into Harry's second lab and arranged it all ready for when the place had power. There was a generator in amongst the equipment as well which the Doctor immediately started to hook up.

"I was going to make that," Harry commented.

"I know, but I had some parts left over so I thought – why not." The Doctor told his son with another grin. Truth be told he was having the most fun he could remember having for a while, but then he had that feeling around his son a lot.

"Got any cabling," Harry asked with a wry grin.

"Ah," The Doctor said suddenly looking a little lost.

"I'll nip into London, and a few mundane electrical stores, normal cable okay?"

"Of course, the equipment here all works on a wireless network, but for anything else like the coffee machine you'll need real cable and some plug sockets."

Harry nodded, "Be back before you know I'm gone," Harry said knowing that his father would be lost in his work until Harry got back.

The Doctor just nodded and waved Harry off. Harry left the trunk and quickly grabbed his wallet and a coat before making his way into Muggle London and hailing a nearby taxi.

_Harry's Trunk, Four Hours Later_

"Hey dad, I need a hand," Harry called out from the hallway.

The Doctor looked up his sonic screwdriver still buzzing before shaking himself and then turning it off. He had been hard at work for hours, for how long he wasn't entirely sure so he was a little fuzzy. He quickly made his way out to Harry and they did as they had done before ferrying equipment down into the Trunk and then into the hallway. Amongst the shopping trip was a great deal of cable and several plug sockets that would fit out the entire trunk for power. Given the power ability of the generator that The Doctor had made Harry would never be short of electrical power.

"How did you get all this back on your own," The Doctor asked curiously.

"Used my sonic screwdriver to shrink it all with magical energy," Harry replied. "I enlarged it up there, I'm still uncertain about shrinking things in a shrunken environment it makes my head ache so I took the safer route."

"Good thinking, but I don't think you need to worry, the bags worked didn't they?"

"Oh yeah," Harry said slapping himself in the forehead.

The Doctor laughed and then picked up a length of cable and started to wire it into the generator, then using his sonic screwdriver he melted the cable into the wall and led the wire all around the room and into the hallway. "Plug here?"

"Yeah one in the hallway sounds good," Harry said, "Wonder if I can get a phone in here."

"Probably if you use a cell phone," The Doctor said, "With universal roaming of course."

"Would you?" Harry said pulling out a cell phone he had brought with that in mind.

"Sneaky," The Doctor said, "Plug it in for charge then I'll sort out the roaming."

Harry nodded and sorted that out as the Doctor went around fitting plugs everywhere he felt they needed to go as well as some light fittings hanging from the roof. Magical light was alright but not great to read by as it was at most a single candle light in power, whereas Muggle lights were many times that.

In all thanks to the alien tech in use it took a half an hour to fit everything ready for use and the generator was humming to itself. Harry went and looked at it and frowned, "That's not a cold fusion generator."

"No, it's not – it's a zero point module, it takes its power from an alternate dimension and will last about a million years and it's perfectly clean and non-reliant on outside fuel in this dimension at least. "I was thinking you might want to power this trunk up to be more than just a trunk later on when you have a better understanding of what you can really do with magical energy."

"Good thinking Dad," Harry said. "You're helping me to make a poor man's TARDIS aren't you?"

"No idea what you're talking about son," The Doctor said with a smirk.

"Uh huh," Harry snorted then grinned. "Fancy a fry up?"

"Always," The Doctor said, "And a nice cup of tea."

"First though," The Doctor said, "Turn on the time dilation field, let's make sure I have my math right."

Harry nodded and walked to the nearest blank panel and started up the field. The two held their breaths but since they didn't create a black hole they were fairly sure the Doctor was spot on as usual.

"Tea then," Harry said walking to the magical stove and putting on the kettle. While that boiled he walked over to the coffee machine and set that up for himself before walking to the stove and making the tea. Then he made the two of them a quick but filling breakfast.

"About what you said," The Doctor said.

"About a poor man's TARDIS," Harry asked munching on some toast.

"If I got you an engine, you could make this move around space, perhaps not time but space."

"That would be useful; I can control the shrinking charm inside as well so I would be tiny as far as ships go." Harry said thoughtfully.

The Doctor nodded, he just wanted Harry to have a way to get out of a situation easily so he would get an engine that he would make work for his son, but that wouldn't be for a while because he would have to find the parts needed to make one. "I won't be able to make one anytime this early on, so don't forget the beacon. I see you're not wearing it."

"Actually dad, I am. I got it all charmed to be invisible to anyone else, with a fitting for the trunk and it can only be removed by me. I thought that was more secure. I beefed up the wards on this trunk as well with the help of the goblins, though it cost me a pretty penny to do."

"Don't spend all your money before you even start school Harry," The Doctor chided.

"I've barely scratched the surface," Harry said with a grin. "I'm very, very rich in galleons and more so in pounds."

"Good, but be careful with your money. I know you've never had to worry about it before so just be careful."

"I will dad," Harry said with a smile at his adoptive father. "In fact, I was thinking I would take out a chunk of change and create a vault here for it. Then I've always got some money on me."

"Not a bad idea. Other than you won't get interest on anything you have in here."

"I was thinking I would take out small amounts over a period of time, say the rest of summer to gradually get up to the amount I want."

"Better idea," The Doctor said with a firm nod. "I'll supply some mundane currency for you as well."

"I would love to know where you get it all," Harry said with a grin, "You've always got money for where ever we are, no matter what planet or age."

The Doctor smiled mysteriously but made no verbal comment.

"So what's the plan, now?"

"I hook up the aerial and then we watch some telly?" The Doctor replied with a grin.

"The Tachyon pulse will be able to sort out the time dilation then?"

"Of course, oh you might want to go program an operating system for your lab and the computer I built you. It's a simple quantum type."

"Oh crap, Qubits."

"You know you love it."

"Oh yeah, yes no, maybe is such a sure way of dealing with computing problems, no matter how powerful it is it gives me a head ache."

"Get to it then," The Doctor said pushing his plate away, "and I'll get the telly working."

Harry nodded and wiped his mouth with a napkin before walking the plates into the self-washing sink and placing them into it.


	4. Chapter 4

_**AN**__: Just a quick note because it's been pointed out to me that I should do this. This is an AU in which Harry and Company start Hogwarts at 16 and carry on until they're 21. Yep, that's right it's only 5 years. That's actually down to a mistake on my part but it's far too late to be changing it now lol, so they only have 5 years at school. This means that I have to shoe-horn in a few things but hopefully it won't ruin the experience._

**Harry Who**

**Chapter Four**

_Harry's Trunk, 1st September_

"It is time," The Doctor said, the three simple words crashing into Harry and making him feel very nervous.

"I'm not looking forward to this as much as I thought I would," Harry admitted, "Among other things I'm going to miss you like crazy."

The Doctor smiled a soft smile and clapped his son on the shoulder, "I'll miss you as well, but I've told you before and I'll say it again now. This is your destiny, and you need to face it full on."

"It still sucks," Harry commented and pulled his father in for a quick hug. Then they left the trunk together using the new method they had installed the week before. They placed their hands on a blank panel and disappeared together only to reappear outside the trunk. The old ladder was no longer in use and the new method was even more secure and thanks to some time lord technology was cloaked in a SEP type field as well.

Harry trigged the trunk's shrinking charms, picked it up and attached it to his necklace whereupon it disappeared from view and sat securely around his neck, undetectable to anyone but Harry. Everything he owned was in the trunk, or around his person in some fashion including his enlarged bag and wand in a special sheath on his wrist. He was as ready as he was likely to get but that didn't stop the ache he had where he was going to miss his father and the many hours they had spent together.

"Come on, we'll get a taxi to the station together and see if we can't figure out this platform 9 ¾ thing." The Doctor said with a grin.

Harry laughed, they had both been wondering about that little titbit of information all summer.

-#-

A quick taxi ride later and they were standing between platforms nine and ten and wondering what the hell to do. Harry pulled out his sonic screwdriver and took a couple of readings. "I'm getting readings of a large amount of magic from one of these pillars," Harry noted walking over to the pillar in question and pointing his screwdriver at it for a long moment.

"What are you getting," The Doctor asked pulling out his own device and taking some readings.

"Massive discharges, I'm thinking some space splicing charms or something of the alike. I'm guessing this is the entrance. No idea how to use it though," Harry said.

Just then a voice caught their attention, "I don't see why I can't go to Hogwarts this year," the somewhat petulant voice said.

Harry turned around and caught sight of a fairly attractive red head that was the one still speaking about wanting to go to Hogwarts and a family of red heads all around her.

"I think we have a clue," he told his father walking over to the family he flashed them his best smile and said, "I couldn't help overhear – did you say Hogwarts?"

"Yes dear, going this year," the matronly woman who just had to be the mother of the group said.

"I am, and I think that's the entrance but I don't know how to use it," Harry said stowing his Sonic Screwdriver up a sleeve.

"It's simple dear, you just take a run up and run through it when no Muggles are looking," the woman said with a kindly smile.

Harry glanced at the entrance and back with a small smile on his face. He had heard worse, but it did as well to check, "You're not trying to make me fall on my face are you?" he asked with a laugh in his voice as his father chuckled behind him.

"Oh no dear, I would never do that," the mother said.

"Okay then, I'll give it a go thanks for your time urh …" he trailed off leadingly.

"Oh sorry dear where are my manners, I'm Molly Weasley. This is Percy my eldest still at Hogwarts, then the Twins Fred and George." She said pointing to each in turn. "Ron's going this year as well," she said pointing to a lanky looking young man of Harry's age. "Ginny won't be going till next year."

"Right, pleased to meet you all – I'm Harry and this is my father The Doctor."

Molly looked a little surprised at that but said her hello's anyway as the entire group did the same. "Why don't you go first Percy and show him how it's done," Molly said after the introductions were through.

Percy nodded and with a quick glance around did just as Molly had explained taking a short run up and disappearing through the barrier.

Harry glanced at his father who was taking readings with his Sonic Screwdriver and met his eyes for a moment before smiling at Molly, "Thank you Mrs Weasley for your help."

"No problem Harry are you going to give it a go now?"

"I am, no doubt I'll see you on the other side," Harry said walking towards the barrier with his father and stepping through minus the run up. He felt he didn't need that to help his belief not after seeing someone actually pull it off.

What was revealed was a scarlet locomotive steam engine idling on the track and a host of people ambling around the place. The Doctor's eyes were alight with this new titbit of Wizarding culture and Harry had to admit he was a little impressed himself. They stepped away from the barrier just in time for the Weasley's to finish arriving through it themselves and smiled a welcome to them. "Impressive," Harry commented.

"Muggle born dear," Molly asked, though to her it was fairly obvious that he was.

"No actually, strictly speaking I'm a half blood." Harry told her, "But this is my first real contact with the Wizarding world," he told her in a bit of a hedge since he had spent most of the summer in it and some time before researching it.

"Well I'm sure it'll all come to you nice and quickly," Molly said with a friendly smile.

"Hopefully," Harry said looking around again at the platform and specifically the clock. "Not long to go now," he noted sadly.

"I know Harry; try to stay out of too much trouble won't you?" The Doctor said pulling Harry to the side to have a quiet chat with his son.

"Well, I'll try but it does tend to follow me around like a lost puppy."

"Just remember your beacon if anything bad happens and that I'll be there for you."

"I'm more worried about you. What are you going to do without me to keep a leash on you?" Harry said half-jokingly to his father.

"Cheeky sod," The Doctor commented with a grin.

The engine blew its whistle signalling that it was time to board and Harry suddenly didn't want to go at all.

"Go on, it's time to board," The Doctor told him, his eyes showing some of the same emotion that Harry was going through.

"I'll call; you have that mobile I got you right?"

"I do, don't worry."

"Right, this is it."

"Good luck Harry," The Doctor said pulling him in for a firm hug before releasing him. "Have fun."

"I will," Harry said with a grin and then he took a deep breath, "Right – here I go." With that he smiled at his father and walked off towards the train and a compartment near the centre of it.

He took a seat in the old fashioned compartment, it had two bench-seats either side with racks above for luggage. Not that he needed the racks, after all his luggage was around his neck. That said he had a bag with him, in which he had placed a change of robes ready for school and some reading material. It was likely to be a long trip given that the school was up in Scotland. He made himself comfortable, pulled out a book on Ancient Runes and settled back to read it, before he opened the book though he spared a glance out of the window to see his father walking out of the barrier and smiled slightly. The Doctor was not one for long goodbyes and he had to wonder what fun his father would get up to on his own. It was a bittersweet sort of feeling though, knowing that he wouldn't be with him every step of the way as he had been for the last 15 odd years.

"Excuse me," a voice called out from the hallway.

Harry looked back at the door to the compartment and smiled, "Ron isn't it?"

"Urh yeah, look can I sit in here?" Ron Weasley said with a slight smile.

"Of course, take a pew." Harry said smiling at his guest. "I'm Harry, or did I already say that."

"Ron, but you already knew that. Didn't catch your last name though," Ron said smiling as he sat down.

Harry read the other young man for a moment, there was something about him that he couldn't place his finger on, nervousness and a hint of fear, probably about the school and his place in it. Best Harry could tell he was the youngest brother of a large family all of whom had gone to Hogwarts; he would be scared too and keen to prove himself and his place in the world. "Potter," Harry said finally.

Ron's eyes shot wide, "You can't be THE Harry Potter, can you?"

"I'm A Harry Potter, not sure what you mean though," Harry said knowing full well what the shock was about. After All Griphook had filled them in the first time that Harry had met the goblin. He was rather famous with books dedicated to his name and the so called defeat of a dark wizard called Voldemort. Though supposedly he was also dead, having died the same night of the defeat. He knew not all the Wizarding world thought that though, otherwise he would never have gotten his Hogwarts letter.

"You're bloody famous you are," Ron said eyes still wide, "Dead too apparently."

"I think you can tell that's not true," Harry said then smirked, "At least I hope you can."

"Yeah but – how," Ron asked unclearly.

"How what, how did I survive, or how am I alive because that's a bit of a tricky one to answer." Harry said enjoying confusing the other guy quite a bit. It was something he had seen his father do to great effect over the years and he wasn't averse to using the same technique himself.

"I mean how are, you here if you're dead. I mean supposed to be dead."

"Well obviously, I didn't die that night at Godric's Hollow." Harry said with an eye roll, "I've been – travelling – with my adoptive father for the last 15 years and staying well away from anything Wizarding."

"Why?"

"Why not, I was brought up by him and I'm safe and here now to do my education, that's all anyone needs to know really and I mean no offense with that." Harry said carefully. Ron was the first person he had really talked to in the Wizarding world properly and he had no wish to upset him unduly.

"Fair enough I suppose, but you're going to make waves at the school. I mean, everyone thinks you are dead."

"I doubt that," Harry admitted, "Since I got a Hogwarts letter during the summer same as all the other first years."

"Dumbledore, that's Professor Dumbledore the headmaster, has always said you were alive. I didn't believe him, I suppose I should have. He's the greatest mage in modern history I should have listened to him." Ron told Harry with a slightly chagrined smile.

"Is he, is he really," Harry said with a smile, "I look forward to meeting him then."

"No doubt he'll want to meet you too given your fame and all." Ron said with a slight hint of something unpleasant in his tone.

"How can I be famous if everyone thought I was dead?"

"Because you killed Voldemort," Ron said as if it were obvious.

"It's not something I did really, more that he tried to kill me and couldn't." Harry admitted with a smile of his own. "I mean all I remember is a flash of green light and then the next thing I was waking up being carried out of the building and that's more than a little fuzzy."

"How do you remember that, you where what 1 at the time," Ron asked his face pensive.

"Yeah, but it was a hell of a memory," Harry said not telling the other man that he could remember most of his life in picture perfect detail. It was part of the way he had been taught by the doctor that his memory was more than photographic it recorded just about every detail. Nothing was missed and if he concentrated he could remember a flash of time and go through it piece by piece and take it apart in his head.

Ron seemed to take his words at face value and then pulled out a packet of sandwiches. Figuring the conversation was over at least for the time being Harry looked back at his book and began reading it through. Since spotting the runes in his trunk they had held a fascination for him that had forced him to read a libraries worth of books on the subject and the book he held in his hands was one of the most advanced on the topic that he had been able to lay his hands on. He understood, now, how the runes were what controlled the space inside his trunk and powered everything magical inside of it. He also was beginning to understand on how he could make some improvements to the trunks design himself, though he had yet to find the time to do any experimentation on that. He had brought some simple wooden boxes from a carpenter and planned on using them to fool around with his rune work during the terms down times, weekends and the alike.

He became so engrossed in his reading that he was startled when the door to the compartment suddenly opened. He looked up and felt his heart skip a beat for a moment. It wasn't the first time he had felt an attraction for someone. In fact given the travel he had done his tastes were damn near 51st century, that said he did tend to stick to females of various species. This particular female was standing in the doorway and glaring at him for some reason. Her bushy hair was a bit of a mess around her head, she had a very attractive face and when she talked Harry noticed her teeth were just about perfect. Given the way the rest of her looked he had to suppose that she had a dentist in the family, or was a model but the hair didn't lend itself to that. Then it struck him, she was talking to him.

Harry blushed and said, "I'm sorry; what was that?"

"I asked have you seen a toad," the girl said.

Harry's lips twitched, "I beg your pardon?"

The girl rolled her eyes, "A toad has gone missing, have you seen it."

"Can't say I have," he raised his book, "I was reading."

Her eyes alighted to the spine and widened, "Really, that's an advanced book on runes. We don't even get to do Runes until third year."

"Oh, well I suppose I'm reading a little ahead, I'm Harry by the way and you are?"

"Hermione, Hermione Granger. Well if you haven't seen a toad I'm going to keep looking. Enjoy your book."

Harry smiled into her eyes, "I will."

Hermione left blushing slightly and Harry started to get back to his book.

Then he heard sniggering from Ron. "What," Harry asked.

"Nothing mate, nothing, except you looked like you were poleaxed for a minute there. I think you fancy her a bit."

Harry refused to blush and just smiled in reply, going back to his book when the compartment was opened again.

"Anything from the trolley dears"

-#-

Ron let out a happy burb and smiled contently, "Thanks Harry."

"No worries," Harry said un-wrapping a chocolate frog only for the little bugger to leap away. He laughed at the sight of it leaping to its own doom out of the window.

"That sucks; normally they only have one good jump in them."

"I love it, sweets that escape," Harry said with a big grin on his face. He then toyed with the box in his hand when a card fell out of it. "Hello, what's this then?"

"That's a Chocolate Frog Card; they have famous witches and wizards on them. I have a pretty large collection of them at home." Ron said, "Collected them a lot when I was younger and my brothers all helped out." He paused looking at the card Harry was holding in his hand, "Looks like you've got a Dumbledore."

Harry flipped the card around and read the back before flipping it back and then frowning, "He's gone."

"Can't expect him to hang around all day," Ron said as if it were perfectly normal for a picture to disappear, which Harry supposed it could be for Ron.

"Brilliant," Harry commented.

The door to the carriage slid open again and it was the girl from before looking harried, "Can I sit here people are being very childish in my compartment." She asked.

Harry flashed his most charming smile, the one that had made him popular across the galaxy after a certain age and waved to a seat, "Help yourself; want some sweets?"

"Urh, no – thank you. My parents are dentists you see and they don't allow me to eat sweets." She explained so as not to give offense.

'That explains the teeth', Harry thought to himself. Then he grabbed another Chocolate Frog box and more carefully opened it. "Oh – this is Ron, Ron Weasley and I'm Harry po…" he stopped himself just in time but Ron blew it.

"Potter, Harry bloody potter can you effing believe it?"

Hermione's eyes shot wide and she examined Harry in a way reminiscent to a scientist glaring at a bug under a microscope. "The books all say you're dead, except Dark Lords of the latter centuries which has a quote from Albus Dumbledore saying that he believes you are alive." She told him. "Are you really THE Harry Potter or are you having us on?"

"I'm A Harry Potter, and I'm the one that Professor Dumbledore was talking about since, hey here I am." Harry said with a smirk.

"Have you any idea what this means," Hermione said with some excitement. "Most of the books are wrong, and you're going to be interviewed for a lot of new ones."

Harry wasn't sure if it was the concept of an interview she found exciting or the prospect of new books to read. "I'm not sure I'll be handing out interviews," Harry said slowly. "That's not really my sort of thing. I'm used to a certain amount of anonymity and privacy and I'm not sure I'll give that up."

"Oh," Hermione said then smiled a little more. "I think that's probably wise, but no doubt when people find out who you are there will be a bit of a circus about it all."

Harry had to agree with her on that point and was just another thing he was not looking forward to about this whole destiny thing. That said he had been taught how to handle crowds by some of the best the universe had to offer and diplomacy by The Doctor himself. He knew the Shadow Proclamation by heart and had read up on Wizarding protocols just in case he would need it. So he felt that he was ready for when the time came for the Circus that Hermione was talking about.

"So what are you, first gen or something else?" Harry asked pleasantly, though given the way she was dressed she was almost certainly a Muggleborn and the fact her parents were dentists was a giveaway as well. He was just trying to make conversation that wasn't centred on him.

"First generation," Hermione said, "You're of course a half blood, what about you," she asked Ron.

"Pureblood," Ron said, "My family goes back generations but we're not all about it like some families are."

"I take it there is a certain amount of supremacy then," Harry asked. "Pureblood is better than say a half blood and all that?"

"Yeah, 'fraid so, not my family of course, we're well known for not being that way actually which is why some families look down on us," Ron said with a sigh, "That and we're dirt poor of course."

"Poor is a relative term," Harry commented, "I've already spotted that your family loves each other and that is worth more gold than Gringotts has."

Ron blushed a bit as Hermione said, "Well said Harry."

"So dentists then," Harry said with a grin. "Can't be all that much fun if you're not allowed sweets and the alike?"

Hermione smiled slightly, "It has its upsides. What about you Ron what do your parents do."

"Mum looks after us kids and dad works in the ministry – Office of Muggle Artefacts."

"Sounds interesting," Harry put forth.

"Might sound it, but it's not. He just makes sure that anything enchanted or charmed stays out of Muggle hands and keeps anything dangerous and Muggle out of our culture."

"What about you Harry, what about your adoptive father?" Hermione asked, "You mentioned him earlier."

Harry smiled how to explain what the Doctor did? "He's a Doctor."

"Of what," Hermione asked.

"Everything"

Hermione snorted softly then caught the look that Harry was sending her; apparently he was being quite serious. "He must be a genius of the highest calibre."

Harry nodded, that was one way to describe the Doctor.

"Is that like a Medi-Witch or Wizard," Ron asked.

"Urh, I would guess so, but I have no comparison yet since I've not had a load of contact with the Wizarding world myself yet." Harry admitted, "I spent some time in Diagon Alley over the summer and did a load of reading to sort of catch up with the whole magic thing but other than that I'm as in the dark as any Muggle born coming into the world."

"We can learn together and ask Ron if we get stuck," Hermione said with a beaming smile.

Harry had to admit he really liked this girl's smile. Ron was nodding as well which was a good sign, that they would have someone to talk to about the stranger Wizarding culture things, though he was still munching in what appeared to be his eight Chocolate Frog, so it was hard to tell.

"So what do you reckon about four or five hours for this trip then?" Harry asked looking outside where the sun was already starting its journey out of sight. Which meant it was likely to be dark by time they got to Hogwarts itself.

"I would think so, but I'm not totally sure where exactly the school is," Hermione admitted.

"Scotland," Harry told her, "Though where in Scotland exactly is anyone's guess."

"How did you know that," Ron asked.

"Research, I've done a fair bit over the summer I really didn't want to walk in totally blind," Harry replied.

"What books, I've found Hogwarts a History to be a rather good guide," Hermione said with a gleam of academic interest.

"Yes I've read that one too," Harry admitted. "A little dry in places though it has to be said."

"True," Hermione admitted, "But that's alright most of the books are a little dry. Have you read any of the school books, either of you?"

"No," Ron snorted, "Plenty of time for that at school."

Harry smiled at the guy and shook his head slightly. He had met the type before in his journeys with his farther, only really interested in coasting through life and especially anything academic. Hermione on the other hand was looking slightly horrified as if she could not understand someone being that way.

"I read some," Harry told her making her smile slightly at him, which he had to admit he rather liked. It was a shy sort of smile but warm with it and Harry was looking forward to finding out more about her so he could make her smile more often. "I've been particularly interested in some of the electives though. Most of the standard courses are just that, standard. But Ancient Runes is really interesting me at the moment because some of the practical applications are amazing."

"Really, I've only scratched the surface of that subject so far, though I was doing a little light reading of Arithmancy," Hermione said to him.

"Ahh yes, the dreaded math behind the magic, if you can call it that, really it's not as much math as divination at a higher level though seeing how some of the spells are put together is definitely interesting." Harry said and then patted his bag, "I have a few tomes on that in here too but I'm not a huge fan of math I'll freely admit."

"Oh, could I see what you have," Hermione asked with a glint in her eye.

"Sure," Harry said and reached into his bag up to the shoulder, much to the other two's shock. Then he brought out a few books on Arithmancy and showed them to Hermione.

"I think I've read that one, but the other two are new to me, may I – no," Hermione cut herself off.

"Of course you can borrow them. I sense another book person so I'm sure they'll be safe with you and after all we're both going to be in the same school. By the way where do you think you'll both be placed?"

For the rest of the journey they chatted back and forth about a variety of subjects starting with the house system and branching out into the other classes and even chess when Ron said he liked it.


	5. Chapter 5

_**AN**__: Just a quick note because it's been pointed out to me that I should do this. This is an AU in which Harry and Company start Hogwarts at 16 and carry on until they're 21. Yep, that's right it's only 5 years. That's actually down to a mistake on my part but it's far too late to be changing it now lol, so they only have 5 years at school. This means that I have to shoe-horn in a few things but hopefully it won't ruin the experience._

_**Another Quick AN**__: I would just like to thank you all for your support, which is blowing me away. I've had so many reviews and alerts coming through that I've been utterly blown away. I do hope that I can answer the questions that have been brought up in future chapters and that I can please the majority of you, I know I can't please everybody mores the pity. Do please keep reviewing it really helps me to continue writing and is a boost to the ole confidence._

**Harry Who**

**Chapter Five**

_Hogsmeade Station_

"We're here, finally," Harry said looking out of the compartment window. They had all gotten changed into their school robes earlier in the journey due to Hermione's urging and were ready to face the school. What none of them were particularly sure of was what they had to do next.

Just then one of the largest men Harry had ever seen walked onto the platform and started calling out, "Firs' years, Firs' years over 'ere."

Harry glanced at his companions and smiled slightly, "I think he means us."

"Cor, look at the size of 'im," Ron commented looking at the large man.

"It's best never to judge a book by its cover I've found," Harry commented mildly. "He might look scary but if they trust him with the first years and around us in general I would think he's probably the gentle giant type."

"Yeah – maybe," Ron admitted and then led the way over to the man.

"Alright," the big guy said to the various first years that were gathered around him looking at him curiously. "Name's Hagrid, I'm to take you to the boats so you get a good look at the castle and then to the sorting before the feast."

This explained why they were singled out from the other years. Harry looked around the other 16 year olds just starting the school, though he still thought academy would be a better description, and noticed there was an odd sort of division. The Purebloods, if he had to guess, were with each other while everyone else was with themselves. Something to watch for Harry was sure. He had already gotten the idea that there was a social divide but the view he had pretty much gave power to the theory.

Hagrid led them to a lake where several boats where tied off and they all started to get on, apparently they were only allowed four to a boat. This suited Harry and his companion's just fine as they were able to sit together. Along with excited chatter the boats moved off across the lake and then around a corner under a willow tree and they got their first sight of the castle.

"Wow," Hermione breathed as she took in her first sight of where she would spend the next few years of her life learning.

"It's pretty impressive," Harry had to admit. As castles went on the British Isles it was huge, but he had seen a few larger but none with such a powerful sense of magic about them. It damn near breathed with the energy source that was so rampant in the area.

"My brothers told me it was impressive," Ron commented taking a bite out of his sandwich he had saved earlier. "I have to admit I didn't believe them though. Especially the twins they have a habit of leading me on for the hell of it."

Harry laughed slightly at the red heads words and settled himself in the boat more comfortably as they coasted across the lake towards a solid stone dock. Once there it didn't take the first years long to get out of their boats and then meet Hagrid again in front of a huge wooden door.

He raised a single massive fist and struck the door making it shake in its frame three times. Then they all waited to see what would happen next. As they waited harry noticed that a blonde haired guy a few people back from him was talking in an arrogant way about his father and what he had told him about the school. Harry made a mental note to stay away from that one as he was already grating on his nerves. Despite all he had to brag about, Harry hated braggarts and avoided them like the plague and he had met a few in his travels.

Then the door opened and a stern looking woman stood there ramrod straight with a school mistresses bun tightly winding her hair. Her expression passed over all the students and then she looked at Hagrid.

"Got the First years for you Professor McGonagall," Hagrid told her.

"Thank you Hagrid, I'll take them from here. Come along," she said leading them into the castle proper and towards another large door. She paused and looked back over them again as Hagrid left. "You will wait here while we get everything ready for the sorting ceremony, I shall only be a moment and then the doorway will open. Walk in, position yourselves quietly and wait to be called forward." She said and disappeared through the doorway letting no one see what was coming.

"Sorting ceremony," Hermione said, "nothing in my research mentioned that."

"My brothers said we have to wrestle a troll," Ron told her with a half-smile, "I think they were trying to pull my leg though."

"Do you think it'll be some sort of test," Hermione said worrying her lower lip between her teeth.

"How can it be," Harry said reasonably, "We've not been taught anything yet."

"That's a point," Hermione said though she was still worrying her lip. Harry smiled slightly as he watched her fidget. He liked this girl he had to admit, but he had to fight against his hormones for the good of all. He had let them rule his life before and nothing good had come from it. In fact he had nearly started a war on Scalarn. It wouldn't do for something bad to happen here because he fancied someone on the first day. It would be better to get to know her a little better before he started to throw himself at her as was his wont to do. Besides it wasn't like she was the only good looking girl in the group. As he looked around he could see several and even a pair of very attractive twins.

The door opened onto a large hall and they all trooped quietly through not wanting to get on the bad side of the stern professor before classes even started. Then the roof caught most everyone's attention.

"It's charmed to look like the outside sky," Hermione filled in almost by route as if she was used to filling in little bits of trivia. Harry nodded along with her; he had read the same book after all he knew what to expect from the great hall of Hogwarts. It was a brilliant piece of spell work he had to admit. He sneakily pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and pointed it at the ceiling and took a few readings to look at later before pushing the electronic device back up his arm.

"What was that," Hermione asked curiously looking at where he had pushed his screwdriver up his sleeve.

"Just a screwdriver," Harry said with a smirk.

"Looked electronic, but nothing electronic works here because of all the ambient magic, it says so in Hogwarts: A History," Hermione told him seriously.

Harry quirked a smile but said nothing further and after a moment Hermione obviously decided to take him at his word or ignore the strangeness and looked front again.

In front of a raised teachers table was a stool and as they watched Professor McGonagall walked back into the hall with a rather beaten up looking witches hat. Harry cocked an eyebrow at the sight but waited for further information before laughing outright.

Before his shocked gaze it started to animate, a rip growing into a mouth and a fold making convincing looking eyebrows before it sang a song about all the different houses available and the qualities they looked for in a person. Harry thought it odd to group people together by personality traits, particularly because that would only strengthen said traits and ignore others. A more random system would make for a more balanced environment he was already sure, but then he shouldn't argue with over a thousand years of tradition on his first day, his second day though was an option.

"Abbot, Hannah" The Professor called out and a pretty young woman with blonde hair walked nervously towards the hat. Harry watched carefully, mindful that he was going to have to do this himself in a minute. It sat on the girls head for a few moments before calling out, "Hufflepuff"

The now more relaxed Hannah walked over to her new house table, easily identified by the banner on the ends.

This continued through the various first years with his new friend Hermione being sorted not to Ravenclaw as he had suspected she would be but to Gryffindor instead. This showed she was not only bright but brave as well. Though harry hoped that made it actually brave and not just rash and prone to jump in feet first. Bravery to him was being scared and facing the fear, not ignoring the fear.

Then finally the hat called out, "Potter, Harry" and the hall became deathly still for a moment before whispers broke out. Harry rolled his eyes as he caught a few of the whispers. Most along the lines of 'isn't he dead?'

He walked forward ignoring the whispers and stares and plopped the beaten old hat onto his head whereupon it slid over his eyes.

"Well, well what do we have here? I don't think I've had such an interesting mind under me before." The hat said directly into his mind.

Rather than speak his answer Harry began to converse mentally with the hat, "Thanks," he replied.

"So open to the world around you, like an unlocked Legimens only to a degree I've never heard of before yet still able to protect your mind from attack. I can't get a proper read from you, can you allow me access or would you like to discuss it instead."

"I'd rather not open myself up to a strange artefact if that's all the same to you – urh – hat, but given one of the few people I know has just been sorted into Gryffindor I'd rather like to go there."

"Quite understandable, who was it may I ask?"

"Hermione," Harry replied.

"Is it hormones or friendship that talks I wonder. She was hard to place, bright as a Ravenclaw as loyal as a Hufflepuff and so keen to excel she would have done well in Slytherin as well. I suspect you are similar from what I can pick up. I sense a thirst for knowledge given the way your mind is so receptive to outside stimulus, that's Ravenclaw to the bone. But you are obviously loyal to those you think are friends thus wanting to follow your new friend, a real Hufflepuff there. I can't tell if you're cunning or ambitious given your rather interesting defences but I would lay a galleon on anyone that protected being ambitious to be able to do it before the age of 16."

"Actually I could do that from about 8," Harry commented with amusement. "You realise we've been a while people are shifting around like crazy out there."

"Very well, since your mind is made up; GRYFFINDOR," the last said aloud to everyone else. "Mr Potter," the hat said aloud making Harry pause before taking off the hat.

"Yes," Harry asked politely.

"Come talk to me sometime. You interest me more than any other student in the last thousand years. Just ask the Headmaster and he'll let you converse with me."

"I will, thank you I think I would like that." Harry said taking off the hat. The last part of their conversation had been out loud so everyone had heard them and it had caused an interesting reaction. Harry walked to his shocked table and sat next to a bemused looking Hermione and tossed a smile at her before settling back to watch the rest of the sorting.

Ron was sorted into Gryffindor with them and joined them at the table to many congratulations from the other red heads on the table which included another pair of twins. Not long after everyone else was sorted into their houses and the headmaster stood up. He was an impressive looking individual very merlin in looks from the old literature. He had a white beard, long robes and a twinkle to his eye that went super nova when he looked at Harry.

"Just a few words before we dig in," he said his voice carrying easily across the entire great hall. He was obviously a man used to being listened to and he easily held the attention of the room which was quite impressive by itself. "Oddment, Tweak, Colander."

The room chuckled as the strange but powerful man sat down and the first years stared at him before chuckling themselves. Harry thought it was hilarious and had been the first to laugh in the room in fact but it was a little strange a gag to pull on a room of young adults. Not that it mattered to Harry whose sense of humour was rather strange itself.

The headmaster clapped his hands and suddenly the tables were groaning under the weight of all the food that had appeared. Harry blinked at that bit of magic and looked at the food as if he wasn't sure it would disappear or not.

Then satisfied that it wouldn't he dived in with the rest of the first years, to whom all of this was new. The other students had seen the alike every year they had been there and were already eating of course.

"Nice grub," Ron said spraying food as he did so.

"Ewww," Hermione said pointedly, "At least swallow before you do that."

"Not another one, mum is always telling me that and I always say it just wastes time."

"Good manners cost very little for a good return Ron," Hermione said with a small sigh and an eye roll, "I mean look at Harry he's not spraying food everywhere is he?"

Harry looked up at his name and eyed the scowl from Ron and the look on Hermione's face for a long moment before putting aside his fork and swallowing his foot, "What?"

"I said good manners are important," Hermione filled in.

"Can be," Harry admitted. There had been times in his life where he had eaten with royalty and times when good manners had been very important, all part of the diplomacy that his father had taught him over the years. Of course on the other hand in some cultures it was considered polite to burp at the table and throw remains over your shoulder for slaves to catch. The trick was to know where you were and which culture did what. He could hardly expect anyone here to have that sort of training though and from the looks of it Ron was not enjoying being dressed down by what was essentially a strange girl. "Then again, it all depends on your upbringing doesn't it? I mean to you talking with your mouthful might be rude, to another it could be considered normal – even accepted to do so." Harry said mildly, "If you think about it burping here and now would be considered rude, but in some cultures on Earth it would be considered a polite, even complimentary thing to do. Almost like not eating with your left hand can be necessary in a certain culture I can bring to mind."

Hermione subsided a little and Ron wasn't showing quite such a grump as before and harry went back to his food with a slight smile. He had a feeling that keeping those two from arguing would be one of the trickier things he had ever done.

The meal was long and filling and when it eventually finished and the last First Year finally put up their utensils the prefects took over. They ushered the First years into house groups and began to lead them away to their new places of residence.

A voice from just behind him stilled Harry though and caused him to turn around and look at the Headmaster who was looking at him engagingly. "Might I have a moment of your time Mr Potter?"

"Urh – Of course headmaster," harry said and waved his friends on without him. Quite how he was supposed to find his way alone in the castle was a mystery to him at that point but no doubt this was important or else why would the headmaster of the school himself be talking to him.

The headmaster led him out of the great hall and through the large castle until they reached a stone gargoyle. "Peppermint Creams," the elderly man said causing the Gargoyle to spin in place and reveal a stair case.

"This is my office Harry, feel free to visit whenever you like," The headmaster said leading Harry up the stairs and into a well-appointed if ancient looking office area.

Harry's alarm bells went off at that point, just what was the headmaster trying to pull? It could, of course, be the man trying to be pleasant but at the same time Harry suspected that was not the case, he was trying to foster a special relationship with Harry for some reason that had yet to be revealed though it doubtless had something to do with his fame. Despite the fact that he had been pronounced dead by the local authorities and papers he remembered that Dumbledore was one of the few that had always said he was alive. Which, Harry decided, he would like to find out how he knew that.

"What can I do for you sir," Harry said putting on a pleasant mask.

"I will admit to being curious young Harry. Most of our world thought you dead and I would be most interested in knowing where you have been for the past 16 years."

"With my father sir," Harry replied easily.

"Your father was James Potter," Dumbledore said his voice verging on stern. Obviously the man had some affection for his biological father.

"I mean no disrespect sir; I remember only blurry images of my biological father sir where as I have known my adoptive father for as long as I can clearly remember. Surely you see it is only natural that I think of him as my father, rather than my biological father who I barely remember."

Dumbledore nodded his head sagely and waited for Harry to reply to his original question in more detail.

"Was there something else sir," Harry said hiding a smile at the man's frown.

"I must ask Harry where you have been I have been unable to find you using the usual methods and that is most irregular. I have merely been able to ascertain your health and general well-being."

"May I ask how," Harry said horrified at this break of personal privacy.

"You may, I may not answer however."

'He thinks he's clever,' Harry thought to himself grimly.

"Now, where have you been Harry?"

"Around," Harry replied evenly.

"It is of vital importance you tell me Harry. You must realise that you are rather famous and I wish to make sure you are protected properly."

"With all due respect Headmaster, until I came to the sorting feast no one knew I was alive. I have been perfectly safe and content with that."

"And what of the now Harry, you will of course be safe at Hogwarts herself, but when you return for the holidays to this location you will not give me, how safe will you be then."

"You yourself tried to track me headmaster and from reading a few books I know you are no slouch in regards to magic. Surely if you cannot track me, then no one can."

Dumbledore stared at him for a long moment with prolonged eye contact. Harry felt a tickle in his head at the unblinking stare and smiled slightly, "That won't work with me sir. I assure you my thoughts are well protected."

Dumbledore sat back in his chair smiling slightly, "I'm pleased to hear that Harry in fact your mental shielding is quite unlike any I have encountered before – how is that by the way?"

"That's something else I would rather keep to myself Headmaster."

"Very well, as long as you assure me that you can protect your mind…"

"I can sir," Harry said carefully. In truth he was set up very much like his adoptive father in that he was wide open to the world in terms of receiving but unless he wanted to he didn't project a damn thing.

"What can I say to convince you to tell me where you are staying? If you like I can prepare any number of safe locations for you. You have living relatives where I can place extremely strong wards for you during the holidays that would protect you immensely."

Harry shook his head, "There is no safe location quite like where I wish to spend my holiday's sir. I have been there for the last 15 odd years and have been safe as houses. Not only because everyone thought I was dead but I assure you I will be quite outside any one's reach who wishes to harm me."

Dumbledore put his fingers together and leaned on the desk, "Very well Harry – perhaps in time when you come to trust me then you will share this location with me. Until then I hope you enjoy our school and learn its many lessons well."

Harry recognised a dismissal when he heard one so he turned and left the office pausing at the door, "Wow," he said noticing a stand with a beautiful bird standing on it. It was placed in such a way that he had not noticed it on the way in but was in clear view when he was about to walk out.

"Ahh yes that is my familiar – Fawkes, a phoenix"

"He's quite beautiful sir," Harry said reaching out slowly to stroke the birds head plumage.

The bird leaned into his touch and crooned slightly, the very sound of it was uplifting.

Dumbledore smiled slightly when he saw the way his familiar was reacting to Harry, it helped dispel some of the worries he had about Harry's upbringing to see a Phoenix acting that way. There was no dark magic in Harry if he could stand the sound of a phoenix let alone touch it like that.

"Don't let me keep you Harry," Dumbledore said after a moment when it was obvious that Harry wasn't leaving.

Harry looked at the Headmaster and smiled, "Good night sir," he said respectfully and with a last stroke of Fawkes he left.

Once at the end of the spiral staircase he realised that he had a bit of a problem. For some reason, and Harry suspected it was a tantrum, Dumbledore had neglected to tell Harry how to get to his house. This meant he had to try to find his way on his own.

He made his way back to the hall where they had dined shortly before as he remembered the route from there to the headmasters office just fine thanks to his fine memory. Then he walked over to the point that every one of his fellow Gryffindor's had been ushered to and thought for a moment. He pulled out his sonic screw driver and took a few readings and looked at the results for a long moment before walking off with his screwdriver leading the way and letting out the occasional beep as he walked. It led him on a merry dance through the castle as he followed various life signs and magical traces until he finally found himself in front a moving painting of a large lady who was looking at him with a friendly smile on her face. "It is past curfew you know."

"Sorry I got lost," Harry said trying not to wonder too much at the strangeness of talking to a painting it wasn't too different from chatting to a holographic entity at the end of the day.

"I'll get a prefect for you," she told him and turned around and appeared to be conversing with someone for a long moment. Then she turned back and smiled, "They'll just be a moment."

Just then the portrait opened and a red haired and quite tall young man walked out from the hole behind it. "I'm Percy Weasley a prefect. You realise you are out after Curfew don't you?"

"I do, but I got lost coming from the headmaster's office."

"Called there already, you're worse than my twin brothers." Percy said with obvious distaste showing on his somewhat pinched features.

"Actually…"

Harry was cut off by Percy who said, "Come on in then, I'll tell you the password inside."

Harry followed the prefect into the common room and looked around. It was quite a large room decorated in red and gold's and appeared quite homely. Percy told him the password to the portrait which struck Harry as the oddest way of securing an entrance way.

Then Percy bustled off towards a set of stairs and once he arrived looked back at Harry, "Are you coming?"

"Where," Harry asked carefully.

"Your dorm room of course, come along I don't have all night."

"Oh right, sorry," Harry said following the prefect up the stairs until they got to a room that had his and some other guy's names on it. He was sharing a room which he hated the idea of for starters and not just with one other person but with a few. At least one of them appeared to be Ron, so at least he knew one person there.

"Here you are, your time tables will be handed out tomorrow at breakfast. For now I suggest you settle in and then get some sleep."

"Curfew isn't bed time then, just be back in your houses then?"

Percy nodded, "Though lessons start early so it's not a good idea to stay up too late."

"Right, okay – thanks Percy."

Percy flashed a half smile and left Harry at the doorway to his dorm. After a moment Harry pushed the door open and waved, "Hi – I'm Harry."

Whereupon, he was set upon by his dorm mates all with many questions for the defeater of Voldemort.

~#~

Harry glanced at his watch and let out a near silent sigh. He was suffering from a little trunk lag added to the fact that he didn't need a lot of sleep in the first place and he was very bored. He reached up to his neck and toyed with the trunk on the necklace that was situated there. He had promised himself that he wouldn't go into it on his first night but he was getting really bored and the snoring wasn't helping at all. He had spent his entire life sleeping alone and having so many people around him was driving him batty.

Finally he pulled the trunk from its fastening and placed it on the bed in front of him and enlarged it. With a quick glance out of his curtained bed to make sure everyone was sleeping he active the transporter that took him down into his mansion sized home and let out a sigh of relief. Blissful silence was his greeter in his home away from home and he liked it. He walked to his living room, where he had set up some of his toys, i.e. music centre and a few other odds and ends and looked at them. He knew the sound wouldn't leave the confines of the trunk so he could sit and watch a movie it the fancy took him, but in truth he was more interested in doing some research. With that in mind he turned on some music which quickly filled the area and knowing he had piped the music into his library and lab he walked to the library and grabbed a book to read.

Then he slapped himself in the head walked to the library's access panel and with a hum of power activated the time dilation field. Then he put the book down on a table and flipped a few pages to get to where he wanted to get. Over the summer he had been unable to do any magic. His first letter had made it clear that it wasn't allowable so he had stayed clear of using his wand. Now he was at the school and the term had sort of started he was going to get some practice in while he could. There were a good 8 hours of sleep before him, that was a week of practice going through his books with a day off to just sleep if he so wished. With that in mind he activated his bracelet and started to make gestures with his wand while intoning the words of the spell.

"Wingardium Leviosa." He intoned making the book twitch on the desk.

"Stupid Harry, give it a focus to work on." Harry mumbled to himself and grabbed another book and glared at the instructions. This wasn't like working with his magic in the normal fashion, or what was normal to him at least. That was instinctive and all about his focus and desire. He couldn't really do all that much, float things around; summon them to him and a few other useful tricks. He could even knock someone out at a distance when the need arose. Most the exercises that the Doctor had him perform were about controlling the flow of the energy form known as magic through his body and extending it outwards. He felt fairly certain that he could create an effective shield if the need arose with no spells or wand and could likely absorb a spell of goodly power into himself. It was all about control of energy, not about finding a specific purpose. It had stopped any accidental magic of course as Harry had control of such urgings now but at the same time it would have been nice to find something more useful to do with his magic.

So he was glad to be at Hogwarts learning how to make his magic actually do something specific. Oddly enough the words required helped him focus on the feel of magic in his body and the wand movements were structured and almost logical to Harry. The structured learning of magic was going to be a boon to him of that he was sure.

He tried again, this time focusing on the spare book and paying particular attention to both wand movement and pronunciation. The book lifted slightly into the air and wobbled a bit before falling to the desk with a thump. Harry felt the feedback of his magic and it was telling him in no uncertain terms that he should have started with something lighter. This was after all his first attempt at a spell. He paid it no mind though, he needed to push himself and push himself hard it was just a part of the way he thought. It wasn't many 8 year olds that could make an anti-mater chamber for instance and it was that drive to succeed which pushed him now.

"Wingardium Leviosa." He said this time pushing his magic a little harder even as he was more pedantic with his movements and enunciation than before. The book lifted smoothly into the air and Harry smiled. This of course meant he lost focus and the book slammed back onto the desk again.

"Bugger," he commented rubbing a hand down his face.

~#~

All the way the other end of the country Harry's adoptive Father the Doctor walked into an unassuming looking department store in London looking for something to do. He had traced a strange energy reading to the store and was looking to find out what was causing it.


	6. Chapter 6

_**AN**__: Just a quick note because it's been pointed out to me that I should do this. This is an AU in which Harry and Company start Hogwarts at 16 and carry on until they're 21. Yep, that's right it's only 5 years. That's actually down to a mistake on my part but it's far too late to be changing it now lol, so they only have 5 years at school. This means that I have to shoe-horn in a few things but hopefully it won't ruin the experience._

**Harry Who**

**Chapter Six**

_Harry's Trunk_

"Accio Book," Harry said his voice firm as the book rocketed out of the shelf and hit his waiting hand causing him to at first wince and then smile.

It had been several days' worth of trunk time but Harry was convinced he was getting a handle on how to perform magic with a wand now. He was working ahead using some of the various books he had picked up in the Alley before he had even gone to Hogwarts and was rather enjoying the learning process. The rush of magic as he cast spells was fascinating to Harry and he was wondering if he could replicate the spell using his memory of the feeling alone. He knew the wand movements and the words of the spell were triggers though and he definitely required them at the moment. But he was wondering if he spent a long time casting a spell over and over if he would be able to make his magic do the spell without wand or spell. That was something for the future though. He only had a day before he had to leave his trunk and head back up into the real world. He was aware that he might be spoiling himself for school somewhat. After all he was there to learn, but he hoped they would have some insights to give him about the way magic actually did what it did. It was all very well saying Accio and having a book fly into your hand but why did it do that? He was hoping the professors would help him answer that nagging question.

He had also held back a little on learning, not covering quite as much theory as he would normally so he could pick that up in class. His transfiguration was also not doing well but his charms were excellent even if he did say so himself.

He put his wand back into his sleeve holster and walked into his kitchen to grab a snack. A quick bacon butty later and he was sat in his lab looking over the results of a test he had run the night before and tinkering with the code for his computers operating system. He had not quite perfected it yet. Kitty jumped up onto his lap causing Harry to look down at the cat in surprise.

"Hey now, how did you get in here," he asked the cute ball of fluff.

As far as he was aware there was no way the damn cat should have been able to get into the sealed room, but he was aware that felines were more than a little mysterious. He had spent some time with his snake the day before and was considering turning one of the smaller greenhouses into a special environment for it. He had a weakness for snakes since he had realised he could talk to them and had found that for some reason they were very intelligent for no scientific reason either.

"Come on," Harry said picking the cat who was not much more than a kitten up into his arms, "Get out of here before you mess up my instruments," he said softly and took the cat out of the room and into the living room. He magically started a fire and fetched some food for his familiar and left it eating in front of the roaring fire.

Back in his lab he booted up his newly updated OS and brought the instruments of the lab online. A hum of power hit his senses as the various doodads and devices came alive around him and lights began to flash. He walked over to a particular machine that was designed to read energy waves and set it recording. He cast a simple spell into its sensor for as long as he could hold the spell and walked back to his computer.

He brought up the relevant screen and paged back through the readings. A frown quickly appeared on his face. The entire area was of course awash with magic, but he could spot when he had cast the spell because of the spike in energy. The Doctor had designed all his instruments to be able to detect magic as an energy source so that was fine, but it was all very well being able to see the energy wave but he couldn't use it for anything useful.

He needed a way to identify and quantify spells. The energy waveform was one way to analyse the energy as it happened but ideally he wanted to be able to look at the actual spell as well. Of course there was something similar to that in the Wizarding world and just his luck it was sheer mathematics, known as Arithmency it was able to make a spell into numbers and the basic theory was of powerful numbers that could be used to create spells. Of course in later years of study it for some reason went into divination, something that Harry was totally unable to quantify at all personally. He really didn't like the thought that the stars knew something he didn't when it was all just positioning of solar systems in the night sky.

He had put off learning about Arithmency because he wasn't a fan of earth mathematics, but he was now resigned to learning it properly. The main problem he had at that moment was that he had lent his best book on the subject to Hermione. He could hardly ask for it back already because while it had been days for him, it had been hours for her.

He did have some basic primers on the subject with whom he could make use of; the only trouble was that he was out of time for the evening. He glanced into the hall way and checked his dual clocks. He had to leave and shortly because he was due to wake up in half an hour.

With a sigh he walked into the lounge and found his familiar, placed food for his snake in the bathroom he was currently keeping it in and then walked to the nearest panel and disappeared from view.

He reappeared on his bed, changed compartments and grabbed his stuff for the morning Kitty sat next to him watching with interest. Then he changed for the day, shrunk his trunk and slipped it back on his necklace. He grabbed his familiar and since he had already had plenty of sleep despite not having his day off he got out of his bed, left the dorm and walked down into the Common Room. There was a fire roaring in the fireplace and it was deserted so he sat down with Kit on his lap and thought through his plans for the day.

Suddenly there was a slight pop off to one side which attracted his attention. Where there had been nothing before there was a short green creature with amazingly big ears and large round eyes looking at him. "Master is here!" it said before coughing fit to burst a lung.

"Hello, I'm Harry, who are you," Harry asked pleasantly he had long since learned not to associate looks with ill intent or otherwise.

"I's Coddy Master I's being your granddads personal house elf. I am proud to call myself a member of House Potter."

Harry nodded, and then said, "I wasn't brought up by Wizards Coddy so could you explain to me what A House Elf is, and I mean no offense to ask."

"That's alright young master I's not mind. A house elf is being a worker young Master. There are lots of house Elfses at Hogwarts like, they do all the cleaning and makings of food. I can…" there was a short break as the obviously ancient house elf nearly choked before continuing, "do many things for you young master. I is sworn to your house."

"What's that last part mean Coddy?"

"My life is the Potters to command young master."

That sounded like slavery to Harry and while he had come across it before in time and space it wasn't something he wanted for himself or those around him. "You're a slave," he stated carefully, not wanting to upset the elf. He knew in some cultures slaves felt honoured even if he couldn't see it himself he had to be aware of that.

"I suppose young Master, but the Potters have always treated Coddy well."

"I'd guess that doesn't always happen then Coddy?"

"No sir, some families are not like the Potters."

"What if I offered to free you Coddy would you take that as an insult?"

"I wouldn't like that young master, Coddy is an old elf sir and wouldn't be well in outside world, but if you wish to free Coddy just hand him clothes."

"I wouldn't do that to you Coddy if it would harm you."

"House elfses need wizard families to stay thinking properly young master."

"Very well then, I would be honoured to have you working with me, urh – how do I do that."

"I's already bounded with the family sir; I just wanted to let young master know I was here. If young master needs anything then just be calling Coddy's name and I will come."

With that the ancient elf disappeared with another pop leaving Harry chuckling to himself while wondering about the world in which he now found himself. He didn't like the idea of slavery at all, and it looked like the House Elves were co-dependant with Wizards for some reason. The question was, were they always like that or had someone done it to them?

With a sigh he settled back and stroked his purring familiar while enjoying the warmth of the fire. Then it suddenly occurred to him that he had left the fire going in his trunk.

~#~

Harry slipped into the Transfiguration classroom with Ron at his heels. Thanks to his excellent memory Harry was finding it easier to find his way around the castle now but if he hadn't been to a particular area or classroom he was obviously as lost as the rest of the first years. So far his first day of classes was going quite well, they had practiced wand movements in Charms and he had earned some points for knowing the swish and flick quite well already, though the diminutive charms professor had given him a few pointers on how to improve it. Then after lunch their next class was Transfiguration and he and Ron had managed to get lost. He spotted Hermione and shot her a smile which made her blush slightly and look down. Then saw a tabby cat sat on the desk at the end of the classroom.

A smile came onto his face and he walked straight up to the head desk and made a fuss of the cat that was reacting to his coaxing fingers but not quite the way Harry was used to from Kit. He bade the cat farewell and was shocked into silence when the cat leapt off the desk and turned into Professor McGonagall.

"Awesome," Ron said.

"Yes thank you Mr Weasley," the professor said with a slight blush before becoming all business. "Now why were you late? Perhaps I should transfigure you into a pocket watch so you'll not be late again?"

Harry looked at her curiously, "If you did – would the clock work?"

"Of course," McGonagall said slightly affronted by the question.

"Hmm, interesting, I take it you don't know all that much about clock work?"

"Not particularly, but that is beside the point. 5 points from Gryffindor for being late make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Sorry professor," Ron said nudging Harry who was looking thoughtful sat beside him.

"Oh sorry, sorry Professor," Harry told the stern professor.

"Now today we will be transfiguring a matchstick into a needle." Minerva paused as she saw Harry Potter looking thoughtful again and then raised his hand, "Yes Mr Potter."

"Urm – how does it go about doing that?"

"With a spell Mr Potter," she replied gaining a chuckle from some of the other students and Draco Malfoy in particular though his was mocking.

"What does the spell do though, does it change the Matchstick atomically, or what?"

"Ahh – I see, this is not the first time I have been asked this question Mr Potter. Some of our other Muggleborn students ask from time to time. The only answer I have to you Mr Potter is that this is magic not science. Magic turns the matchstick into a needle with the correct wand movements and spell, this is not science it's simply not applicable here."

"So – in effect the reply is magically," Harry asked an unreadable expression in his gaze.

"Yes Mr Potter, now back to the classwork if you please."

Harry was not happy with that answer. Not happy at all and he would figure this out if it was the last thing he did.

~#~

Harry looked around the dark and lifeless looking potions room with an eyebrow quirked. He knew that it was important to keep most potions ingredients cool but this was beyond the pale. It was so dark in the room that it had lights on the room to cheer it up a little. They were actually under Hogwarts castle and the chill in the air was slightly fogging their breaths. He hated to think what this place would be like in the real winter, though given they were underground it probably wouldn't actually change all that much.

Suddenly the door banged open and a tall dark haired professor walked in speaking as he walked.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," Professor Snape said and turned when he reached the head of the class.

"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses - I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

There was some tittering from the Slytherins in the class with whom the Gryffindor's had a double session of potions at that time.

"Potter," Snape suddenly snapped making Harry look at the man. As their eyes met he felt a tickle in his mind and frowned into the man's dark eyes. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry half frowned again, "Draught of the Living Death," he replied thanking his lucky stars that he had read as far ahead as he had since that was a NEWT question.

"Interesting," Snape commented eyeing Harry carefully. "Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

This one Harry was unsure about, he could answer a supply shop but had a feeling that wasn't what Snape was asking, his memory set to work on the problem and supplied the answer in short answer, "I think the stomach of a goat sir."

"Very well and if I asked you what the difference was between monkshood and wolfsbane," Professor Snape asked.

Harry smiled slightly, "None sir, they are both the same plant."

Snape glared at him for a long moment before nodding briefly and turning back to teach the rest of the class. He had ignored Hermione's hand the entire time he had been questioning Harry and harry had to wonder why that was.

He wasn't sure what the Potions Professor had against him but it was clear to Harry's eye that he had managed to slightly impress the man but wasn't sure that was going to help him if Professor Snape was out to dislike him from the start. The other problem appeared to be the man's blatant favouritism of his own house as he often gave points for little to no reason to the Slytherins but rarely if ever gave any to Gryffindor, though he was more than happy to remove them.

All in all Harry wasn't sure he was going to enjoy the class. He turned back to the potion they were brewing for the day. He was working with Hermione who was sat next to him as Seamus had gotten Ron to pair with him. This was more than fine by Harry as Hermione was not only attractive but also had a good head on her shoulders.

"This is a little like chemistry isn't it," she said with a slight smile in Harry direction.

"20 points from Gryffindor for Miss Grangers use of a vulgar Muggle term applied to potions," Snape bit out his entire demeanour very angry. 20 points was rather steep compared to the other punishments handed out thus far and Harry looked angrily at Snape. He was growing to dislike the man in a very short period of time and that was unusual for him. Of course the fact that Chemistry was hardly a vulgar term was the least of the injustice of Snape's angered response.

Hermione looked seriously upset for a long moment but didn't talk back to a teacher. She was obviously not used to being treated that way by a teacher and it showed in how upset she was.

"If it helps," Harry said in a low voiced aside, "I agree."

Hermione smiled slightly at him but didn't dare speak again for the rest of the lesson.

They walked out of the class, everyone not from Slytherin feeling much relieved to be out of the presence of Professor Snape. A blonde guy bumped passed Hermione as they were about to walk away spilling her bag from her shoulder and across the floor.

"Hey," Harry snapped glaring at the blonde as he looked back and smirked before walking off.

Hermione kneeled and started to collect her belongings and Harry was a little shocked to see that none of her housemates tried to help her, so he did. They gathered her possessions together and she packed them into her bag and gave him a watery smile, "Thank you Harry."

"You ok?"

"I don't know; I'm not really enjoying it here so far. I know it's only been a few days but…" she trailed off looking embarrassed to have said that much.

Harry looked at her for a long moment, "It's not quite what I expected either," he admitted. "When I heard of a magical school I had all sorts of ideas but for the most part Wizards just seem to treat magic like a slave almost and expect it to do what its told without looking behind that and finding out WHY it does what it does."

"I know what you mean; I was looking to go to college before I got my letter and study in various fields of science because that's an interest of mine you see but the existence of magic explained so much that had happened to me when I was younger and the fairy tale idea of magic fascinated me of course. So I came, but now I doubt it was the right idea. I mean I've seen some wonderful things but we've not done any real magic yet and there is no theory to speak of."

Harry studied her for a long moment, "I have the same problem I have a fairly large personal library that focuses quite a bit on the theoretical do you – do you want to see it."

Hermione looked at him, "Personal library?"

"This is going to sound crazy," he told her, "But I have a special trunk with some very cool magic involved that makes it huge inside, if you promise to keep it secret and I think I can trust you to do so I'll show you."

"How, surely your trunk is in your dorm and how will we both fit," Hermione asked her eyes lighting up.

Always a sucker for a pretty face Harry smiled at her engagingly, "Let's just say it's some amazing magic and I have it with me right here."

"We're done for the day…" Hermione said leadingly.

"We are," Harry said, "Come on back to the common room the trunk is covered by some serious notice-me-not charms that will cover us entering and I'll key you in as a visitor to tis wards."

"Okay," Hermione said with a beaming smile. "I can't wait to see your library is it large."

Harry's lips twitched but he shook of the naughty thought and said, "It's growing but at the moment it only covers about half the first floor."

"First floor"

~#~

Hermione let out a yelp as something tingled all over her body and shut her eyes by reflex which amused Harry no end. "Hermione," he said gently. They had set the trunk up in a virtually unused part of the common room and he had keyed her into the wards as a visitor before placing her hand next to his on the transport panel and bringing her into the trunk proper. "Before you open your eyes make me that promise please."

"Of course Harry I promise I won't disclose whatever you show me without asking first, even to a teacher."

"Thank you Hermione, now open your eyes," Harry told her with a smile in his voice.

Hermione opened her eyes and looked at a blank wall with a black panel on it. So far she was less than impressed, "Turn around," Harry said laughing.

Hermione turned around to see a long corridor with several doorways leading off of it. It was a surprisingly large corridor and well decorated but a little bare. Each of the doors had nameplates that were engraved with such things as Potions Lab and Living Room in simple but elegant script and at the very end of the corridor was a table with a mobile phone in a desk charger and a lamp.

"Wow," Hermione said even though it was just a corridor it was magical since she knew she was in a trunk.

"Everything is on a single floor except for some reason the library," Harry filled in. He touched the blank plate next to her head and turned on the time dilation, "And the biggest secret of all is that this entire thing is covered in a time dilation charm matrix meaning that for every hour out there, more time passes in here, 24 hours to be precise."

Hermione smiled, now this was magic as she had dreamed of it since getting her letter. "Come on," Harry said, "I'll show you the library."

He led her a few doors down the corridor and opened the door and called out, "Lights," as he stepped through it. Hermione walked into a huge room that had three floors arranged around in a pentagram shape with each floor looking down onto the ground floor. She walked to the centre of the room passing a lot of book shelves on the way and looked up at a grand looking ceiling.

Harry followed her more slowly into the room, "It's nowhere near like complete yet," he said modestly, "But I did spend a lot of money in Diagon Alley over the summer fitting in a few volumes."

"A few," Hermione said with a laugh.

Harry shrugged, enjoying the look on her face. It wasn't too dissimilar to the one worn on people's faces when they first looked into the TARDIS. "I have all the years of course books based on this year's list as well as electives… Talking of which do you happen to have that Arithmency book on you."

"It's in my bag," Hermione sat patting her shoulder satchel.

"Can I borrow it back, using the time field I could have it back to you in a flash. I've recently found I need to focus on it more."

"Oh, anything interesting," Hermione asked her eyes lighting up as Arithmency was very interesting to her.

Harry studied her for another drawn out moment, "Yes, something you might be interested in if I can tear you away from the library for a moment," he said with a grin. He could tell a fellow bibliophile a mile away.

"Okay, as long as it's quick," Hermione said with a chuckle.

"Come on I'll show you my little science experiment."

Harry led her out of the library and down a few more doors on the same side of the corridor and walked into his lab. "Welcome to my lab," he told her sweeping his hands grandly. He was getting a little carried away with showing her around he knew, but he felt that he trusted Hermione and could tell she was as dissatisfied with the Wizarding world as he was currently. She was, he sensed, a kindred spirit.

She looked around with great interest in her expression, "What's that, or this – or that?" She asked pointing to various devices littered around the room, "Is that a computer it looks awfully advanced I don't think I've seen that operating system before. How did you get electronics to work in a magical environment?"

Harry laughed at the stream of questions, "Whoa steady there Hermione. To answer a few of your questions that is a high energy spectrum analyser. Yes that is a computer and it's very advanced but I'm not giving up all my secrets just yet, I programmed the Operating system myself which is why you've never seen it before, it's WIMPS though. The electronics are shielded from the magic using simple high energy shielding and the entire place is wired for electricity."

"How," she asked.

"Not too sure of that myself I forgot to ask but expect he just used some narglite fibre."

"What fibre?"

"Don't worry about it, it just shields the wiring from the magic and more importantly it's in all the instruments as well, though I've been having a little trouble with the background radiation given off by so much magic. See above the door, the rune scheme there well that's in every room helps maintain the place and more specifically the size of the place and powering the entire layout schema but it pumps out a lot of ambient magic and some of my instruments are picking that up."

"They can pick up magic," Hermione asked her eyes lighting up, "You can actually measure magic."

"I can," Harry said walking over to his computer and booting it up instantly and bringing up some of the analysis work he had been doing, "Look this is a simple levitation spell."

Hermione leaned over him and looked at it, "What I am looking at?"

"That's the problem, I can measure the energy but nothing that really makes sense."

"Ahh, this is where the Arithmency comes in is it?"

"Exactly," Harry said beaming at her glad she had gotten it so fast.

She reached into her bag and pulled out the advanced Arithmency text and handed it over, "I've left a book mark in there if I can borrow it back I'd appreciate being able to pick up where I left off."

"No problem, thanks Hermione. Do you want to go back into the library? We have three hours till dinner which is obviously a few days. I can put you up in a spare room if you'd like?"

Hermione smiled at him, "Yes please I would like that very much."


	7. Chapter 7

_**AN**__: Just a quick note because it's been pointed out to me that I should do this. This is an AU in which Harry and Company start Hogwarts at 16 and carry on until they're 21. Yep, that's right it's only 5 years. That's actually down to a mistake on my part but it's far too late to be changing it now lol, so they only have 5 years at school. This means that I have to shoe-horn in a few things but hopefully it won't ruin the experience._

**Harry Who**

**Chapter Seven**

_Harry's Trunk_

"This isn't bloody working," Harry said swearing as he read the scrolling numbers on the computer.

"What's that," Hermione asked. She had moved from the library bringing a good book with her out of loneliness and was sat well out of the way at the back of the lab. They had taken a short break to make an appearance at dinner in the great hall and this time she had brought some clothes with her. They now had 10 days of down time from school before they had to make an appearance thanks to the dilation field and she was using that time to get ahead in class.

"This program I wrote to convert the readings into Arithmency formulae," Harry replied distractively. "Because I don't really understand what I'm looking at when it comes to the energy matrix I'm not able to convert it properly. I hesitate to use magic to analyse magic but it's starting to look like the most attractive option."

"How do you mean," Hermione asked setting aside her book after marking her place and walking over to see what he was talking about. On the screen the spell was still causing scrolling screens of numbers to form and it was making little to no sense. She was currently working her way through the Arithmency book she had borrowed back but Harry it seemed could read and assimilate information at such a high rate that it left her in the dust. He was so far in advance in spell theory now it was almost funny.

"I have an idea; but I don't want to talk it over too much until it is a little clearer in my mind."

"Okay," Hermione said. They had struck up an easy going friendship over the days they had spent together with just the two of them and it was some of the most pleasant time that Hermione could remember having. Her parents always expected her to act a certain way, to be more mature than her years even at a young age and teachers expected the star pupil and her peers didn't even like her much less interact with her. With Harry she felt relaxed as he allowed her to act in her own way, do as she wished and had no expectations of her. She studied for the enjoyment of studying a new subject even one as unscientific as Magic and because every new book was an exploration for her.

She looked over Harry shoulder and saw him trying out a few ideas on the program that had been running a few moments before giving it up as a bad job and switching to something that contained a lot of Runes work. "What's that?"

"Not sure you'd believe me," Harry said with a laugh.

"Try me," Hermione said rolling her eyes, "There's an awful lot of runes," she commented looking at the hundreds of runes on the scrolling display.

"This is the design for a power source I'm toying with. It's just a rudimentary thing at the moment but should pump out quite a lot of magical energy when activated. I need to make an engraving machine though something that can handle a very fine resolution."

"Make," she asked in surprise.

"No one would produce what I need, so yeah – make."

"Just how bright are you Harry, I feel that you're holding back on me and I had hoped we were moving past that," Hermione asked with a slight hint of hurt in her voice. She felt very close to Harry especially since he had befriended her with no sign that he wanted something from her as was often the case in school.

"Passing fair," Harry said, "Look Hermione I'm not trying to hide my intellect or something like that, but some of what I have to tell you isn't easy to accept and what's more we've not known each other for very long yet. I would like to think we are becoming good friends, very good friends actually I sense a kindred spirit in you Hermione, I really do, but some things come with time."

Hermione nodded, accepting that for now she wasn't going to learn everything he had to say, but it was frustrating to her curious brain to have a puzzle in front of her she wasn't allowed to solve immediately. Though it was also part of his allure she had to admit that she couldn't figure him out instantly as she often could when it came to most puzzles. "So why do you need a power supply."

"To power something," Harry said with a big grin.

Hermione's stomach fluttered a little at that smile but she cursed herself for it. She doubted he was interested in her that way, he was very good looking and quite charming and she knew that while not ugly she was not the most attractive girl in the world. It didn't stop the blush from crawling up her cheeks though and she hastily smiled back and backed away, much to Harry's confusion.

He mentally shrugged it off and went back to the rune schema for a moment until he was happy with it and then walked to the end of the room where some of his production equipment was based. He pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and started to tinker with electronics.

"What's that," Hermione asked, obviously over her blush.

"Sonic Screwdriver," Harry replied easily.

"What does it do," Hermione said frowning slightly.

"Just about anything that can be achieved with sonic waves and a few things besides, this one in particular can also channel magic."

"Like a wand," Hermione said moving back closer to him to have a better look.

"Sort of," Harry agreed. Under his ministrations some wiring unfurled into its component parts as he stripped it of its casing and began to slowly form the circuitry that he would require.

Hermione watched entranced as he worked with the odd buzzing device and constructed before her interested gaze a hodgepodge of parts that he said would create engravings. By time he was finished he had a large A3 device that looked a lot like a plotter. It had a wickedly sharp engraving head on a simple enough looking pulley system that he assured her would be able to handle the resolution he was after.

"How…" she said stunned.

"Just a little application of science and the beauty of a sonic screwdriver," Harry said with a smile.

"You're amazing Harry, just so you know. I thought I was clever but I have nothing on you."

"And I have nothing on my father."

"I would very much like to meet him," Hermione admitted.

"I'll see what I can arrange during probably the summer holidays. I doubt he'll be around during Christmas, for some reason that's usually a busy time for him."

"How is that," Hermione asked.

"I'm not sure really but there is always something odd going on around him on Christmas day or there about's. If it's not one thing it's another and frankly it amazes me all of the time. Personally I'm all set for a peaceful Christmas this year," he said grinning at her, "I'm planning on using the place he set up for me and having a nice quiet Christmas for a change."

"Alone," Hermione asked slightly horrified at the thought.

Harry paused and nodded slowly, "Yeah I suppose I will be which will be odd. It'll be the first Christmas I actively remember that I've been alone. I figure that I'll probably just work my arse off though so it shouldn't be too bad. Christmas day itself I'm going to stay in bed till really late and then make a massive Christmas dinner."

"You can cook that well," she asked surprised.

"I've picked it up along the way, and if I hadn't I would've been stuck with a rather bland food source."

"Hmmm," Hermione said filing that under her Harry-is-a-puzzle file in her mind.

"What are you planning on working on over Christmas," she asked finally.

"Little side project, well actually a huge side project when and if all the parts come together. One of the things I want to do though is try to replicate this trunk as best I can."

"Really, why would you want to do that," Hermione asked.

"Well, if I can do that I will understand the process better for one thing. What really bugs me about my little home away from home here is that I don't understand it. Where does the space come from for starters? It doesn't use the terrasect theory as best I can tell so if I had to guess I suppose the only thing it can be is that it is in someway attached to an alternate dimension, a little like my zero point module from which all the electricity in the place comes from."

"You have that sort of power available here; I've only heard the smallest of details about that sort of thing. Just from reading a couple of papers that posited the theory." Hermione said sounding totally shocked.

"I do, but my father often works beyond modern theory in such things," Harry said hedging somewhat. To the Doctor a Zero Point Module was old theory not new. He didn't want to tell Hermione that however, he didn't think she would react well to the thought. It was more that he had to ease her into things than wanting to withhold from her, a friend.

"But – but, that's amazing," Hermione said finally after some blustering.

Harry shrugged, hoping to move her along from that line of thought if he could. "I would like to convert to some form of magical device at some point. This is why I'm going to set the machine to print out my rune scheme now and see what happens."

Hermione brightened slightly, "That sounds like a good idea, but shouldn't you test it on something simpler first. I must say it's good that we've met really; I thought I would have to leave science behind me when I came here. There is nothing less rational than magic from what I was able to tell, but the draw was too great to ignore. Now we're looking at magic through scientific eyes and with scientific method wherever we can and it's exciting the things we are finding out."

"Glad to hear you say that, I have always thought that magic needed to be looked at properly. When I first came in contact with it I was shocked at how the magical world viewed magic. They would just cast a spell and expect it to work and didn't seem to care HOW it worked. Anyway, you're right about the test of course. I'm a little worried that the machine won't work at all actually so trying something smaller would be a good idea rather than wasting a lot of time waiting for the power supply rune set to engrave." Harry said and then walked to the engraving machine and filled it with a flat metallic sheet.

"What metal are you using," Hermione wanted to know.

"This is a simple alloy somewhat like aluminium just for testing. As best I can tell it doesn't matter what runes are engraved on as it's the runes themselves that are inherently magical."

"I see, where did you read that," Hermione asked.

"I didn't I found out by doing a little hand engraving recently on a variety of materials," Harry said with a shrug.

"So what are you going to set it to do?"

"I'm going to start with a simple shield ward that will shield against some low powered curses then aim one at the scheme and see what happens."

"In here," she asked with worry.

"No fear, not around all my equipment. Have you seen the duelling room yet?"

"Only briefly when you did the tour the first time you brought me in here," Hermione told him, "Duelling isn't something I am all that interested in I have to admit."

"Well as much as I hate to admit it, duelling is as important in this world as knowing how to fight is in the mundane. In other words it isn't until you realise that you need it, then it's the most important thing you ever needed. Either to protect yourself or someone you care about."

"I hadn't thought of it like that. Does that mean that you know how to look after yourself the mundane way as well then?"

"Mundane only really, some martial arts classes when I was younger on other pla- places."

Hermione filed the stumble away in her file again and then looked at Harry seriously as he worked on a quick and dirty rune scheme on the computer and sent it to the engraving machine. It wasn't the quietest thing in the world but the runes were glowing as the machine scratched away which was a good sign that it was doing what it was supposed to be.

Harry gave a chuff of appreciation of a job well done as it worked to his design specs which had mostly been in his head and then looked to Hermione who was standing quite close and had a look of interest in her gaze. "What," he asked with a slight smile.

"I would like to know where you learned all this," she admitted, "I'm not good at having an unanswered puzzle around."

Harry smirked at her and turned back to the computer noting the progress bar of the engraving at work. "I learned from my father and a lot of really good tutors from all over the place."

"Anyone I might have heard of," Hermione asked looking at him steadily.

"Probably," Harry said with another smirk. Some of the people that had taught him to think were the best in history at what they did both past and future history and many of them had even been from Earth. Telling his friend that was likely to get him locked up though, or at the least lose him a friend. At least until her mind had lost some of its limitations.

"It's finished," Harry said after a moment of silence. Indeed the horrible scratching noise of the engraver at work had indeed become silent moments before. He plucked out the small sheet of alloy and carried it towards the door, "Coming?"

"Of course," Hermione said filing in behind him and following him down the corridor towards the duelling room. Once there Harry set the slightly glowing ward schema up against the targets along one wall.

Once he had done that he rejoined Hermione near the door and levelled his wand at the ward plate. With a glance at Hermione and a small smile he fired off a quick stunner at the ward and watched with a satisfied smile as it bounced off and was absorbed into one of the actual targets in the room.

"Seems like it works," Harry said with a happy smile.

Hermione nodded and was happy for her friend though she was also slightly jealous. He was becoming so far ahead of her it was becoming unreal. Then again he had studied longer than her and would be doing so as well. Apparently she was only able so spend so long in the trunk with the time dilation on so as to avoid being unduly aged. Apparently Harry had a way around that but was unable to help her get around it. Losing out on that sort of extra study went against the grain for her she had to admit. It was still marvellous that she could get some in of course it was, but at the same time she couldn't help a little tremor of jealousy that Harry was able to spend as long as he liked in the time dilated trunk learning all sorts of things while at the same time seeming to push back the boundaries of magic and science effortlessly.

"I'm tired Harry," Hermione said after a moment and a slightly forced smile, "If you don't mind I think I'll turn in for the evening, or rather the time dilated evening at least."

"Sure Hermione no problem," Harry said with a smile wondering at this sudden change in his friend. Then shrugged it off, it had been a hard day after all and a long one as well so she could just be tired as she had said. He retrieved the test ward and carried it back to his lab while watching Hermione retreat to the room he had given her.

Then he turned his full attention to his computerised Engraving station and thought up some other things he might be able to do with it.

_The Next Day, Harry's Trunk_

Harry's eyes were fixed to his latest 'print out' from the engraving machine as he slotted it into place along with the other six he had created thus far. This was the tenth version of the same device he had tried that night and into the morning. He hadn't been to bed at all and had only taken the smallest amount of time to see to his body's needs. The device suddenly started to glow as the final sheet was dropped the final millimetre into place and Harry was forced to look away for a second, grab some tinted goggles, and look back.

It was glorious and even with the tinted goggles it was a little hard to look at. The basic idea was that it was a power supply. Being that it was a magical power supply it was of course also a thing of beauty and radiated with that aspect of its creation. Each sheet of glass, the material he had found to be best, was layered upright into a star configuration. In the background the sound of the engraver was going again this time working on a tape like rune scheme that would, he hoped; work out to be a power conduit that he could attach to the power supply.

As things stood he had nothing for the power-supply to attach to and that just wouldn't do in his mind. It was all very well having a power supply but it had to power something eventually. He had a lot of ideas on what to do with a power supply like that but those were for the future and a long way off. He had many things to come up with in the meantime. He was emboldened by his successes thus far though and had high hopes that his eventual goal was now more attainable than he had at first thought.

~#~

Hermione stared up at the ceiling of her room, it was a quite ornate ceiling all told and she now knew every inch of the thing intimately. She had, after all, been staring at it all night. She felt, for the first time in her life, like a second stringer and she wasn't sure how she felt about that and had been battling with that all night long. Harry was a first class genius to even her, a person that had always based her entire sense of self on her intellect.

It was not a good feeling and she didn't like it. In there, the trunk, she was not only playing catch up with him but he was on an entirely different field of play. In a small, not good, part of her psyche she wanted to get as far away from him as possible. It was a strange feeling tinged with green and she didn't like it and that just made it worse.

It was no good, she had to get out of the trunk, out of dilated time, and time to herself to have some time to properly think without someone that treated science like his favourite toy and magic as a source of intrigue rather than the marvellous thing it was.

She had meant what she had said to him, she was glad to meet another scientist but that was before she realised that the place was powered by a source of energy only talked about in theoretical circles and generally treated as science fiction.

She just couldn't handle it and she was ashamed to admit that even to herself. Harry had not done anything wrong really, and he had befriended her when no-one else seemed to want to. Her room mates were giggly and girly which wasn't something she could ever be accused of being herself. She had very little in common with them and that was putting it mildly. Without Harry she wasn't sure she would have a friend at all, but was that really such a bad thing she had to wonder. She had gotten on fine by herself for so long she wasn't even sure she wanted a friend by that point. She had always gotten on better with adults than those of her own age anyway.

Part of her was telling her not to be stupid and that Harry was a nice guy that just happened to be more intelligent than her. Another part of her just couldn't handle that fact and wanted to go hide until it went away. The problem was with her life up to that point having been so lonely the loudest voice was the one telling her to retreat back into what she felt comfortable with.

She let out a sigh, decided, and slipped out of bed and got dressed. It was no good, she at least needed to get some time to herself away from the source of the problem and try to think things through. In a way it would be easier if Harry had showed some interest in her outside of friendship, then she would have a good excuse to run away. She had to admit she felt a little that way about him herself not that she would admit that to any but herself.

Once she was fully dressed she repacked her book bag with her clothing and walked to where she suspected that Harry would be hanging out, namely his lab. She was right and walked right into the sight of Harry looking at a glowing object that hurt her eyes to look at. She had no idea what it was but it was very beautiful, if slightly painful, to look upon.

"Harry," she called out softly so as not to make him jump. He turned around to face her and smiled.

"Hey there, good sleep?"

"Yeah, urm – can we talk?"

Harry nodded and turned to the device, and then he picked up some sort of shielding and lowered it over the glowing thing and settled it gently in place. The glow noticeably dimmed to a manageable level and then he turned back to her, "It's noisy in here, fancy breakfast."

"Urh no, but perhaps we could talk in the hallway."

Harry nodded, taking notice of her bag over her shoulder and followed her into the hallway.

"What's up Hermione," he asked pleasantly.

"I would like to leave, if that's alright."

"Of course, is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing, I just want to go and – urh – sleep in my own bed." It was weak and Hermione knew it but Harry didn't seem interested in calling her on it.

"Okay, just touch this panel with me and I'll take us out."

"Oh no, you don't need to stop what you're doing."

"I can always come back in," Harry said touching the panel and stopping the time dilation field.

Hermione touched the panel next to him and they were drawn out into the common room of Gryffindor Tower. Hermione looked at Harry for a moment, "Thanks Harry," she said and walked quickly off leaving Harry wondering what he had done wrong to frighten her off.

As she got into her dorm room Hermione wondered what the hell she was doing and if it was the right thing.


	8. Chapter 8

_**AN**__: Just a quick note because it's been pointed out to me that I should do this. This is an AU in which Harry and Company start Hogwarts at 16 and carry on until they're 21. Yep, that's right it's only 5 years. That's actually down to a mistake on my part but it's far too late to be changing it now lol, so they only have 5 years at school. This means that I have to shoe-horn in a few things but hopefully it won't ruin the experience._

_**AN2**__: I've been working hard on my personal home page. It's pointless giving you a link here but my homepage link on my profile points there, so please do come along and visit it's a good site I promise :D_

**Harry Who**

**Chapter Eight**

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Time seemed to flow into itself from that point on. It disappeared into a flow of classes and time in his trunk for Harry that was a complete blur of action, learning and experimenting. His personal projects were going great guns and the things he learned from the experience made his school work almost ridiculously easy for him to complete. The only real trouble he has was in his personal relationships. Most of his dorm mates pretty much ignored him except Ron who even then was only friendly some of the time, preferring to ignore his existence most of it. Harry knew he was mostly to blame for that as he wasn't the most sociable of people as he worked most of his time in time dilation and on his own work.

The nights he did spend outside of his trunk and in the dorm or common room he mostly kept to himself. He had visited the library on occasion and was currently trying to come up with a good way to get the entirety of its contents into his own library by buying everything he could lay his hands on. The trouble was there were a lot of books in it that were just plain unavailable anywhere else, it was after all a thousand year old library. What he really wanted to do was get in there and copy the lot.

The biggest problem he had he thought was probably of his own making as well. The only thing being he wasn't sure what the hell he had actually done. Hermione seemed to be avoiding him to the best of her ability and the only time he saw her was in class or at meals. The rest of the time wherever he was she seemed to be just leaving or had already left. He had tried to talk to her about it but the one time they had spoken she had merely said she was really busy.

Harry wasn't sure what he had done to her but it obviously wasn't good. As far as he could tell all he had done was share himself with her and apparently that was too much for her. He wasn't surprised he had often found in the past that his father and he lived life in a way that other people just could not, or would not handle.

He sat up from the glowing power centre of his latest project and let out a sigh, it was no good he wasn't going to get anything done that night. So he put up his tools and walked to the nearest panel and was outside his trunk in a blink. He turned off the time dilation field and his wrist band and looked around. For the most part the place was empty but then again it was Halloween and everyone was probably heading down to the great hall for the feast.

In truth he was getting a little fed up with the feasts they had, it was all amazingly heavy and he was sure that it wasn't good for them. Luckily most days he was feeding himself in the time dilation of his trunk. He was, however, feeling discontent with his solo ways at that moment so he got changed into something that would be alright for the feast, tucked his wand into his wrist holster and walked out of the dorm and into the common room. It was likewise mostly empty so he walked out into the castle proper and made his way down to the great hall. He was probably almost the last person there by the look of things and the feast had already started.

He was almost shoved to the floor as Professor Quirrell their defence teacher exploded into the room and ran halfway up the hall. "TROLL, troll in the dungeons – just thought you would like to know," he said before fainting dead away.

Harry ducked back out into the hallway even as the great doors shut at Dumbledore's wandless command and he called for silence.

He had a bad feeling about this, and he hadn't seen Hermione in the hall either. He pulled out his sonic screw driver and did something that he had only been experimenting with on his own trunk lately. He tied it directly into the ward scheme of the ancient castle and started a scan.

To an outsider the sonic screwdriver of both, The Doctor him self and that of his son was a pretty strange object with no way of telling exactly what it was reading or giving any feedback at all. The thing was they had no idea what it was like to be open to the cosmos in the way both Harry and his father were.

The sonic screwdriver seemed to appear in his minds eye and a massive map of the school unfolded into his minds eye. Had he been brought up by anyone else, there was no way that Harry would be able to deal with the sheer influx of information that suddenly appeared in his head. It glowed in his head and thousands of pieces of information screamed for his attention. He ignored them with an ease born of long practice and felt his way through the thousands of rooms in the castle. He just wanted to be sure; as he did that he began walking towards a nearby empty classroom. He had no wish to be locked up with the others in the great hall. It was done in no time as behind him he heard the massive doors click open and several members of staff spilled into the hallway and spread out.

He watched them with half an eye on them physically as he hid and the other on their representations on the ward map in his mind. The ancient ward were impressive and far in advance of even the wards on his trunk and that was saying something considering how much he had paid the goblins to secure it. They were also extremely informative and if Harry didn't know better he would say they were leading him towards his goal. He mentally zipped down hallways and finally came across a giant red blur in the wards. The informative aspect of the wards sent data to his sonic screwdriver which then interpreted the data in a form that Harry could understand.

Suddenly he was looking at a fully grown mountain troll in his minds eyes. Then his view shifted to a doorway with crying coming from it. The troll was curious about the sound from its actions even as it hefted its club.

His minds eye floated through the door and saw a miserable looking Hermione crying in one of the stalls.

His feet were moving before he consciously realised it. Then suddenly he was running full tilt towards a mountain troll and his friend. Now the thing about living with the Doctor and adventuring with him was that you got fit quick, or you got left behind and Harry was VERY fit and was running quickly through the hallways of the school like it was nothing even as he passed some of the professors in the hallway.

They called for him to stop but he ignored them, instead using the wards to direct him exactly where he needed to go and running hell for leather so fast the witches and wizards professors were left in the dust before they had a chance to utter a spell.

He arrived just as the Troll was swinging its club at the stalls that Hermione was in.

"Oi, big fella," Harry called out pulling out his wand and holding it steady on the massive beast.

The lumbering troll turned to face him and growled low in its throat. It wasn't a fan of wizards and didn't like loud noises or being in a castle of all places.

"Cease your actions and leave peaceably and then no hassles right?" Harry said hopefully, he knew the Troll understood him. Despite the fact the TARDIS was god alone knew where he had his key on him and thus a link to the amazing technology. He could read, write and talk any language in the universe with that help including mountain troll.

The troll growled and lifted its club and swung at Harry, apparently not in the mood for a discussion.

Harry dropped to the floor and felt his clothes move in the back draft from the massive hunk of stone hard wood that the troll called a weapon. Then he leapt back up to his feet and fired off a brilliant red beam of magic that splashed harmlessly off the trolls hide, other than annoying it, it had depressingly little effect.

With a mental sigh Harry switched tactics and jumped up and caught a hold of the club as it made its next pass. He was swung through the air so fast the room became a blur but he ignored the nausea that was caused. He had gone a hell of a lot faster than that in his time with less protection against the elements. Then as the Troll brought the club up to its face to look at the strange wizard holding onto it, Harry punched it in the eye.

Both Harry and the club were dropped as the Troll held on to its eye roaring in pain. Harry literally ran up its body starting by jumping to its knee, its stomach and then clambering up its face. He kneed it right in the face full force knocking a tooth loose in the process. Then he punched it in the other eye. He jumped clear and landed like a cat as the troll went insane in pain and wildly shook about.

Harry stepped back and with a sad smile cast the most powerful cutting curse he could at the things hamstring. Then the other followed and the troll fell to the ground face first. Moving fast he used a spell he had only just recently read and bound it in thick magical ropes. The troll thrashed trying to get free but was unable to get away from its bindings. Harry walked up to it and said, "Stay calm, you will be let out of here and untied. Until then I won you lost – deal with it."

He then turned to a white faced Hermione who was watching in total stunned amazement. "You alright there Hermione," he asked with a slight smile.

"B.B. w.w.w.w."

"They call my dad 'The Oncoming Storm'," Harry said with a grin, "you should hear what they call me."

Hermione fainted backwards only to be caught by Harry and pulled into his arms just as the Professors he had passed earlier arrived.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS," Professor McGonagall screeched out of her mind in worry and totally stunned of the sight of a fully grown mountain troll groaning slightly and fully bound on the floor. The place was trashed from it's lumbering around and the fight with Harry, and in the middle of it all was Harry with Hermione in his arms like it was nothing without a hair out of place.

He shot her a smile, "Hermione was in trouble – she needed help."

Snape walked into the room and looked down at the troll with a frown; he had no idea who could have subdued a troll like that, certainly not the boy's actual father that was for sure. His mother had the intelligence, but lacked the power. Could it be that Harry was actually a balanced mixture of the two? That was an almost scary thought to behold.

Professor Dumbledore smiled and twinkled like crazy. He had his hero, now all he had to do was mould him.

"I promised him we'd let him go," Harry said nodding at the troll. "The ropes will only hold for a little longer so you should get on that."

"Mr Potter!" McGonagall said winding up into a rant, "Do you expect us to believe you fought a fully grown mountain troll and – won?"

"Urh – no, not if you don't want to," Harry said with an amiable shrug of his shoulders, "Now I would like to take Hermione to the infirmary she's had a bit of a shock."

"I'll take her," Severus said moving to take Hermione into his own arms.

The look Harry shot him made him back up three steps, "I've got it," the young man said flashing a wide smile that did nothing to take the look out of his eyes. Snape was cursing himself for his stupid attack on Potter in his potions lesson. The young man had got all the questions right, but Snape had assumed he had cheated. Now he was realising Harry was NOT his father's son and that he had already harmed his trust with the young man which would take some healing. It was true that he was expected to work and act a certain way, but he often didn't truly feel the way he acted. If this was the boy of Lilly Evans then he was willing to put things behind him slightly. He certainly looked like his father though.

Harry then stepped on and over the troll and walked along the hallway leaving the professor gaping after him, all the time carrying Hermione like she weighed nothing.

Dumbledore glanced at McGonagall, his request and meaning clear and she nodded and followed her lions to the infirmary.

_-{}-_

Hermione woke up slowly, as if from a very strange dream her entire body felt fuzzy and she wasn't entirely sure where she was. Her warm brown eyes cracked open and took in the infirmary and it all came crashing back to her. She had nearly been killed, in a school of all places the one place she would think would be safe and she had nearly died. It was almost too much for her to cope with. She had trouble with bullies in her old school of course, being as she was, but she had never feared for her life, just her lunch money.

A monster out of a fairy tale had nearly killed her with a massive club, and then also like a fairy tale, she had been saved by her gallant knight. She had damn near wet herself during that fight as Harry had run circles around the lumbering beast, however, she had known one hit from the club and it would all be over. It had no chance against him though, and that had been sobering. Where the hell had he learned to fight like that against such overwhelming odds at that? Just who was Harry Potter that he was able to do something like that? She knew that Trolls were virtually immune to magic from her reading in Harry's trunk. He had probably known as well but he had still managed to hurt it with a spell and even bind it up like a Christmas turkey.

If anything she should run away from him even faster, not only was he frighteningly intelligent making her look like a village idiot he was a true blue hero right out of a fantasy novel. Her one guilty pleasure was reading those but she had never expected that they could be real! Yet there he had been to save the day, god alone knew how he had found her – or why he had bothered. She had made it fairly plain that she hadn't wanted anything to do with him. She felt small and childish for that now because he had acted like a friend and helped her anyway while she was off moping about people being mean to her. He had rode in and saved the day, and damn her self but she felt her insides wobble at that. She considered herself a modern strong woman but she still felt at that moment like some sort of maiden being carried off after a dragon had been slain.

She knew then, that she had NOT done the right thing and run away from Harry, she should be running towards Harry. People like Harry were rare in the world and she should be enjoying the time she spent with him, not being jealous in a small minded and petty way just because he was brighter than she was! She knew she was going to have to apologise to him and try to make it up to him. She was also aware that as a witch and because he was a wizard that she owed him a life debt. There were very few ways of discharging that debt. One of those made her squirm inside, she didn't like to think about such things and figured he would run a mile if she offered it. The other was to marry him; again she doubted that he would be interested in her of all people. The final way was to discharge the debt by saving HIS life. For now, that seemed like the best option unless he showed any interest in her in other ways. She was far from adverse to that idea and in truth fancied him quite a bit, but her luck with the opposite sex was not good.

She looked to the side and was surprised to see that Harry was sat in a squishy looking chair, asleep, apparently keeping an eye on her. That touched her quite a bit and she smiled softly.

"I see you're awake Miss Granger," the kindly but firm matron of the infirmary said appearing from her office as if by magic.

"I am," Hermione said a little roughly. The nurse quickly gave her some water which Hermione gladly drank. The cool elixir touching and soothing her throat immediately, "How long have I been unconscious," Hermione asked noticing that it was daylight outside and it had been dark the last she remembered.

"About ten hours, you slept well through the night."

"What time is it?"

"Ten AM," late for an appointment, the nurse said wryly.

"I was worried that Harry is missing Classes."

The nurse smirked slightly and pursed her lips, "I have never been unable to remove someone from my domain before that young man, I sent him away long ago only he never left and refused even when I threatened punishment. He has stayed by you throughout the night."

Hermione smiled softly turning her head to look at the sleeping Harry beside the bed. "He saved me," she said her tone as soft as her smile. "No one has ever done that before."

"Hopefully no one will ever have to again," Madam Pomphrey noted, "Well, as for your health you had a nasty scare but other than that you are fine. I suggest you wake your boyfriend and get to class this afternoon."

"Oh – he's not my boyfriend," Hermione said blushing.

The nurse just favoured her with a smile before bustling off to her other duties.

Hermione reached out and gently shook Harry's arm that became awake with startling speed. Emerald eyes intense as he looked at her, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Harry, I can't thank you enough."

Harry shrugged, "It was my pleasure you look much better without being Hermione mush on the wall."

Hermione was shocked into laughter which went on for a while as she slew off some tension that remained from the fight. "Still Harry I owe you," she said when she had stopped laughing.

"Think nothing of it Hermione, I mean – what are friends for."

Hermione nodded, "Friends, and I wanted to apologise to you for ignoring you of late."

Harry looked at her, "I'm hoping that is not going to be the case anymore."

"No it won't" Hermione said firmly.

"Then we're good Hermione, now I suppose we should get to class."

"Definitely"

"Perhaps tonight we can talk in the trunk?"

"I would like that Harry, I'll bring my bag and we can spend a few days together if that's alright?"

"I'd love to," Harry said beaming at her, happy she was over what ever was bothering her before hand.

_-{}-_

The day went past in a blur after that and pretty soon Hermione had appeared in Harry's trunk with her book bag stuffed with clothing for the next few days spent in the trunk. In truth while it was a marvellous way to get ahead, she wasn't there to do that this time. She was there to try to make things up to Harry for the way she had acted. She felt small and petty for that and she didn't really know why she had done it, other than pride. That marvellous thing that has toppled entire governments and kingdoms and almost lost her probably the first real friendship she had ever had.

It wasn't very often that Hermione Granger felt stupid but currently she was and she was bound and determined not only to repair their friendship but to forge ahead as well. In truth she would quite like more, but she was not very confident in her own abilities in that area. Harry had been so sweet to her she wasn't sure if that was friendship or not. He certainly seemed to care for her, that was obvious to her, but it would be nice if he showed some non friendship clues to her so she could decide what to do next. In fact she had never really been interested in boys, or girls for that matter, there had been a few crushes of course. One of the more popular boys in her old school had crushed her once because she had thought he was interested, but what he had been interested in was her doing his work for him. That had been one of the more embarrassing things to happen in her entire life in fact, and wasn't something she would get over easily. She was sort of on the opposite end here, she knew she liked Harry, but he didn't NEED her for his homework or school work, he was already out in front in that regard.

He was sweet to her and gentle with her but never initiated contact with her. He didn't flirt, not that she was sure she would recognise that even if he did, and in all other ways he was a perfect gentleman. When she had first stayed she had wondered if he would invade her private space and take advantage of her, she had been so very lonely at that point. In fact she was even more so since she had broken ties with him. She would not in fact mind a bit of being taken advantage of, though she realised she needed to lay off the trashy romance novels somewhat.

"Harry," she called out into the empty hallway of the trunk. The piece of magic amazed her beyond belief that she was standing in something that on the outside was not big enough for her to do so. It was one of the things she loved about magic, the sense of amazement that she got from it. It also infuriated her as well, because half the time it made no sense as to how it happened.

Harry poked his head out of one of the many doors and then stepped into the corridor. Hermione felt faint and her heart leapt into her throat and began to hammer. Okay, so she was fairly sure she was flat out in crushing mode at that moment but he looked amazing. He had obviously been working out and was dressed in shorts and a boxing singlet. While slender he was built like she had seen some of the body beautiful in magazines and apart from a few scars was flawless. Brilliant emerald eyes held her in his regard and she went pink at her ear tips. She would open her mouth but was rather worried about what would come out. The fact that he was also sweaty just added to the image in her mind and boy was the image fixed in her mind.

"Hey there you," he said with that amazing smile of his and Hermione felt herself turning to goo. This was one of the other reasons she had stayed away. He was making her melt more and more often. It had started innocently enough but the more she was around him; the more she wanted to jump him she had to admit and that was not the way she normally thought. He was good looking, had a body to die for and was smarter than her. It was a combination that was driving her insane. "Go make yourself comfortable I'm just finishing up something here."

Hermione smiled feeling a fool and nodded. "You alright," he asked showing concern on his handsome features.

"I'm fine Harry, the transport in here makes me a bit dizzy is all," she said feeling proud that she had made that up on the spot, it was even slightly true.

Harry smiled with a nod, "It takes some getting used to," he said and then walked back into the training room. She felt more than heard the sizzle of his magic flying around the room and wondered what he was doing that was creating such an upsurge of magic in the area. To top things off in the Harry Potter package he was quite ridiculously powerful as well, which she had to admit she didn't mind one bit.

She walked to 'her' room and stashed her stuff, placing a few personal items around the place. She briefly wondered what her mother would say to her basically cohabitating with a boy, but put it out of her mind, nothing was going on – more was the pity as far as she was concerned.

She walked out of her room into the living room area and noticed the fire was going and both of Harry's familiars were in situ there. She wondered why the snake wasn't trying to kill the kitten but shrugged it off. Harry had told her that he was able to communicate with serpents after she had caught him talking to it not long ago by her standards. She suddenly realised that it was significantly longer for Harry as he spent most of his time in time dilation. It didn't affect him for a reason she wasn't entirely clear on, though it did her. She had to be careful not to spend too long in there or she would age before her time.

Harry walked in still looking dangerously sexy to her eyes and flashed that smile of his, "Alright?"

"Yes thank you, it's good to be back," she said with a smile.

"It's good to see you back," he told her, "Hungry?"

"No thank you," Hermione said, "I was wondering if I could see what you've been up to while I was – away."

"Of course, I think it's pretty exciting," Harry said drawing his wand and cleaning himself with a spell, only Hermione didn't know what it was as it was non verbal.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked, "I thought the verbalisation was an important part of the spell."

"Not so much according to the post OWL books I was browsing, and it's not that hard to do either, it just takes some mental focus, which you have in spades. Before that point the teachers insist on it so they can make sure we have the spell correct, after that point they actually insist we don't say the spell aloud, it's a NEWT requirement to silently cast."

Hermione shook her head with a wry smile, "Not that hard to do huh?"

"Nope," he said with an easy smile.

"Come on you had better show me then," Hermione said smiling and pulling out her wand.

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_AN: I'd like to thank everyone that has reviewed so far, it always gives me the warm fuzzies when people review my work. _

_I will say that I had thought to dump this work, but the reviews from this site in particular do keep coming so while it won't be updated very fast, I will attempt to keep it going. I have BIG plans for this story eventually, but some of those plans might mean I will only be abl to most it elsewhere. I'm not sure as yet how to deal with that, I do have a couple of thoughts though. That's not me trying to get people to my site btw it's trying to keep in the rules of THIS site. I will work my arse off to keep it here though because this is where it is most popular and perhaps it's time I worked within a solid M instead of my usual MA stuff lol._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

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Hermione and Harry spent a lot of time working in the trunk as Hermione had insisted they do so, as she wasn't that worried about losing a few years at that point. Being magical it was likely that she would live to be 180 years old, as a female, so she could afford some time was her argument. Harry was in no mood to deny her so they spent many months under dilation and started to make the rest of their class silly with how far ahead they were of the actual school work. The teachers were starting to notice that something was a little off with that too, but so far hadn't said anything as neither Harry nor Hermione were making a big deal out of it.

So classes were boring to them but in the trunk was another thing entirely as they debated, theorised and built all manner of things. Instead of being depressed about Harry's intelligence Hermione had then taking it as a challenge and was coming on leaps and bounds in her thinking and ability to keep up with Harry, though he did on occasion leave her in the dust.

"Harry, what are you doing," Hermione asked looking at the trunk he had his entire upper body in at that moment.

"Just some expansion runes," he called back to her his voice actually echoing out from the trunk.

Hermione frowned, "How big are you making it and doesn't the fact we're in a space expanded trunk interfere with the rune work?"

"Nope, it's all a matter of zero point spatial relations," Harry said moving even further into the trunk until he was virtually hanging off the edge into the damn thing.

"Jesus Harry how big is that thing inside," Hermione asked knowing that he had just gone way above her current understanding.

Harry pulled out of the trunk and smiled at her, "I wanted to see just how far I could stretch them, I'm not done yet actually but it's ridiculous in there."

"How big are we talking exactly?"

Harry smirked, "You don't want to know."

"Oh I think you'll find I do," Hermione said tapping her foot now.

"Let's just say we could have a game of quidditch in there."

"That trunk is even smaller than this one!"

"I know, cool huh?"

"What is the point though," Hermione asked. She often had to reign in Harry's more wild ideas. He liked to just explore like crazy without any thought of what he was going to do with it, though his early experiments with space expansion were still in use as coffee cups that never seemed to run out and were always hot. The shoe he had expanded though, not so useful.

"Why did a man climb a mountain," Harry shot back with a boyish grin.

"Because it was there, but Harry there has to be a point to all this experimentation."

"Well, there is," Harry admitted, "But you need to sit down first."

Hermione did as he was asked; he had surprised her onto her arse in the past so she trusted him to know when that could happen.

"You've occluded your mind now right?"

"I have," Hermione said with a proud nod, in part her Occlumency had helped her keep up with Harry as it had organised her mind to an amazing degree above what it had previously been and she had almost instant recall now. She still couldn't follow some of his concepts though but was confident that she would.

"Good, then I think it's time for a little Harry Potter History Lesson. I think I can trust you with this now."

Hermione folded her hands on her lap and looked at him expectantly. Harry folded his legs and sat facing her on the floor. "My father dragged me out of a burning building when I was one year old. He was investigating some strange readings at the time and took me to safety. I stayed with him for 15 years until I came here. It's where I stayed with him that you might have trouble believing."

"I trust you Harry," she told him seriously.

"What do you think about life on other planets?" He said surprising her with the odd out of place question.

"I would like to think it exists," she said.

"What if I told you that it definitely does and that in my time I have visited thousands of different planets," he said.

"I think I'd laugh at you," she admitted. "Faster than light travel is not possible."

"Oh it is, just not in normal space - that's what the void is for. Though humans will kick Einstein's theory eventually and then leap out into space way above light speed."

"You sound sure of that," Hermione said.

"I've seen it, I was there at the first FTL test drive," Harry said, "Hell I helped fix the stupid thing, and boy was dad pissed about that."

"Space, and time Harry are you having me on?"

"TARDIS, Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. That's the name of my father's ship; it can go through time, space, and dimensionally only that's all closed up these days."

"Harry - seriously you expect me to believe this."

"I expect you to trust me, yes. Some of it can be proved of course, for one thing look at the tech around here you think this comes from Comet?"

"But..." she shook her head to clear it, "You know what you have often pulled the rug out from under my preconceived notions and this is really just more of the same. I trust you Harry but why are you telling me all this now?"

"You asked what I was doing, I'm getting to that. You see among other things the TARDIS is very much larger on the inside than out, only it's done with technology not magic."

"Oh god you're trying to make a space ship." Hermione blurted.

"Not trying so much as doing it, bit by bit. I have the power supply already made, the new core is designing a new version of itself. I have built and expanded countless trunks now and all I really need is a drive system."

Hermione was pale from shock, "You want to fly a trunk around space?"

"Not exactly," Harry said with a laugh, "I want to design and build my own ship using magic for the most part. I know how to do it technologically, could hardly help but with my dad. That said this is a challenge."

"Making a space ship with technology isn't a challenge?" Hermione said feeling a little faint, she was glad she was sat down.

"Nah not really, trust me you'll see I'll take you and show you a few systems."

Hermione looked at him still pale but now interested and slightly excited, "You'll take me - into space?"

"I will," Harry promised.

He was bowled over as Hermione tackled him into a hug. "You better not be lying to me - it's always been a dream of mine." She told his neck as she hugged the hell out of him.

"I'm not lying," he said patting her back and rather enjoying the feel of her supple body pressed against his. "It will take a short while though; for one thing I've not done in Hogwarts yet. But I figure building this ship is a good project to have. There are a few things I want though."

"Like what?"

"Repair systems, drive systems, scanning systems, replication - conjuration of Actual food and water, waste management and a host of other items are on the list. As it stands I am ready to build the outside of the ship so I also need protective systems, weapons unfortunately and shielding of some sort. Magic can cope with a lot of that, and I want this ship to be as magic as possible, so it will take research and experimentation some of which will be quite dangerous."

"I'm in," Hermione said letting go of him and sitting back on her haunches looking him in the eyes.

"I thought you might be," he said with an easy smile. "But we need to partake in a little theft soon and I'm not sure you'll want to be a party to that."

"Theft?"

"The Hogwarts library, all of it, copies of course, and from there I'm thinking a copy of the other great schools libraries as well."

"That's some theft, why though?"

"Information is the key to this project and we need a LOT of research materials." Harry shrugged, "of course all of this is discounting why I am here in the first place."

"Oh why is that," Hermione asked.

"My father tells me that I am a child of destiny and that destiny lay here at Hogwarts and in the magical world for a while. As it turns out I also have some responsibilities here as well."

"What are they?"

"Old pure blood clap trap but something I can't get out of either. For one thing I have to get married."

Hermione felt her stomach drop, "Oh anyone in mind."

"You actually," Harry said with a smile.

Hermione suddenly smiled at him radiantly, not quite the sign she was looking for but even more obvious in its own way. Harry held up a hand, "and four other women," he said.

Hermione's smile shut down fast, "I beg your pardon."

"I know, I know," Harry said hold a hand up to stall her response, "Please don't think less of me because of the antiquated culture in which we find ourselves."

"But five wives," Hermione asked her voice thick with shock, then her face became a little red, "What sort of culture are we in here?"

"A very old one, Wizards go all the way back to something called Atlantis which predates some of the theories of actual evolution on this planet." Harry said in a calm placating tone. "That said I know for a fact that particular culture didn't support bigamy on this scale so obviously it's been kinked along the way."

"You know this for a fact do you," Hermione asked looking at him strangely.

"Let's just say, between you me and the gate post that the human race is a lot older than you might think and leave it at that for now."

"But four other women, I suppose you think I should just accept that."

"Not at all, I think a great deal of you Hermione and if you really want me not to then I will attempt to get out of it."

Hermione blushed, "I need to think about that."

"I totally understand that," Harry said with a slight smile, "I have a responsibility thanks to the last two great wars that have happened in the Wizarding world, but there is probably something I can do about it."

"Perhaps you shouldn't," Hermione said after a moment.

Harry looked at her in surprise but could tell she was thinking something through, she had that look on her face that he had come to admire, a look that told that she was thinking something through.

"Go on," Harry said.

"Oftentimes the best way to fight a system is from the inside," Hermione said her tone quiet as she thought things out as she spoke, "Perhaps that's the way to go here."

"From what I've read on the culture of the Wizarding world, there are a lot of pit falls to that idea. It's antiquated to the extreme and somewhat self protective."

"Next you'll be telling me there is still slavery here," Hermione said then blanched when Harry went silent and just looked at her. "No!"

"It's something I've only just started to research," Harry said, "But not long ago in outside time someone called Coddy, who is apparently my House Elf, came to visit me. Now don't go off the deep-end here, because apparently it's a co-dependency thing, they need us to think straight - his words not mine, we use them to do just about everything a household needs."

"Do they get paid," Hermione asked anger leaking from every pore. She had done extensive reading on the slave trade during her younger years and had been disgusted by what she had found out.

"No, and some families don't teat them very well - apparently my own always has thank goodness." Harry said actually looked relieved by that statement. Slavery was almost as distasteful to him as it was Hermione.

"What can we do," Hermione asked.

"Not sure yet," Harry said seriously, "Try to raise awareness first of all I would say, try to get people treating house elves better than they have been. I've not had a lot of contact myself yet but other than VERY old Coddy appeared to be quite intelligent and cognizant of his self, if somewhat subservient."

"So there are multiple marriages, slavery and what else I wonder? This is not what I dreamed of when I came here Harry."

"Me neither Hermione, me neither."

"What about us," Hermione asked looking at him seriously.

"We're already friends," Harry said carefully, "I don't see that ever changing, but I… I would like to explore the possibility of more. If you're int…" Harry was cut off when hermione's lips met his in a somewhat amateurish kiss that held a lot of passion despite the fact it was obvious she had never tried to kiss a man quite like that in her life. Harry's arms wrapped around her, knowing that he had his answer and kissed her back. It wasn't love, but he did feel a lot for her and he felt they were compatible enough that there would be love. It might seem strange to think that way, but he was a rational man who held passion in high esteem so he had to make a rational decision that had a hope of passion building from it.

He felt he would get that with Hermione, he just didn't quite know who the hell else he was going to ask if Hermione gave him the go ahead with the other marriages. He had meant what he had said, he felt she was important enough to give the decision to, and they had time if things didn't work out, but he had a feeling that he had made the right choice.

The kiss ended with both of them smiling and a look in Hermione's eyes he hadn't expected to see there for some time, it was a mixture of awe and lust. It was quite breathtaking in her normally warm brown eyes to see that much heat.

"We better get back to work," Harry said having had to clear his min of the lust he himself was feeling and his throat a few times as well, to get his mind into action again.

Hermione nodded with a slight smile on her face but didn't make a move to actually get back to work instead she leaned forward and looked him directly in the eye.

"Or perhaps not," he said with a slight smile, moving forward to capture her lips again.

Sometime later when they had finally finished exploring the new facet to their relationship, which had taken a day until they realised they should stop or else hormones would drive them too far. Hermione and Harry were back in the lab and working hard on the tape that Harry wanted to use as cabling.

"It's quite flimsy," Hermione noted as she spooled some more tape as it came off the plotter.

"It's stronger than it looks," Harry told her, "I've used an exotic alloy to make that stuff, and it can also handle a LOT of power thanks to how many runes are plotted per square inch."

"How many are we talking about here," Hermione said grabbed some of the tape and putting it under a microscope.

"Well, it's at the very edge of the resolution the plotter can handle, so hundreds of thousands of runes per square inch."

"Good grief," Hermione said eyeing the tiny runes under the powerful optical instrument. "They just transfer power then?"

"Pretty much it yeah, they only lose a tiny fraction of their power as its routed as well, which is cool because normal runes bleed a lot of energy."

"I can see that," she said looking at the runes above the doorway that kept the room the right shape and size in the trunk. They were glowing slightly which she could now tell thanks to a spell Harry had cast on the area to show rune work. It was something designed by ward breakers to work directly with warding and quite useful for his experiments.

"Talking of alloys, check this out," Harry said stepping back from one of the more exotic machines in the lab. Hermione walked over with haste and looked at the faintly glowing blue-green metal he was showing her.

"What is it?"

Harry quirked a smile, "I'm calling it Mithril."

"Oh Harry," Hermione said with some exasperation, "Seriously."

"It's a magic alloy; made from some of the most magical metals I was able to get my hands on from the Goblins, so why not? I have enough on order to finally begin work on the outside of the ship."

"This ship is coming along faster than you anticipated."

"Not really it's taken nearly eight months trunk time to get this far, and we have all the internal systems to design yet."

"True, so tell me about this alloy then."

"It's inherently magical and able to hold quite a lot of magical charge by itself; I've also had some success in carving runes on it. I've in fact made a deal with the Goblins about this stuff I won't bore you with but let's just say everything I've spent since coming to this world should be covered by the deal. Making Ward stones out of this stuff will increase the effectiveness of any ward scheme by tenfold at least."

"Good grief, sometimes I think I'm catching up and then you pull something like this."

"Is this a competition then," Harry asked looking mildly annoyed, "Because I thought we were working together on this."

"It's not that Harry, but I've always prided myself on my intelligence sometimes it's… difficult to realise that I'm hopelessly outclassed in that area."

"It's not about that, for instance the air filtration system you're working on is light years ahead of the ideas I've had on the subject. It's about our abilities in different areas. You're much better at some things than I am, especially in the areas of transfiguration and warding." Harry ran a hand through the messy mop of his hair and continued, "You and I are now so far ahead of our classmates it isn't funny anymore, in fact we're probably ahead of the reading and theory for the OWLS, there's no good being competitive between ourselves, or anyone else. Let's instead focus on our common goal of getting this thing space worthy."

"Of course, Sorry Harry," she said with a slight blush.

Harry smiled, "That's my girl," he said going back to look at the Mithril under a radio microscope and using his sonic screwdriver to mess with the structure a little.

Hermione actually found herself blushing, she should be angry at hat term, but it was a term of endearment and it actually felt good. She liked being His girl, and wondered what sort of effect it would have on their classmates when they realised they had paired off. He was a very intense person to be around she had noticed, and she had also noticed some of the looks that other female classmates had given him. He was a good looking bloke, he had an air about him as well, and auras of safety and comfort that encompassed all around him and made them feel good about themselves.

She wasn't sure what it was about him that drew her in like a fly to a spider's web either, but he definitely did so. A small smile curled her generous lips as she watched him working on his Mithril, it was a sort of green colour that spoke of otherworldliness that struck her fancy quite a bit. It was also only fitting that he should have a green ship to go with those eyes of his; those eyes that made her insides quiver. She had never felt quite the way she did about Harry with anyone else before, it was such a draw that sometimes she wanted to throw proprietary out the window and snog till the cows came home. "Harry," she said in a tone of voice that sent a pleasant shiver down Harry's back."

Harry looked up from his microscope, his pupils dilating when he saw the look contained in her warm brown eyes. "Yes Hermione," he said a slight crack in his voice.

"Are you really busy," she purred not noticing that she was doing so.

Harry quickly down his tools and came away from the Microscope, instead moving into a lose hug with his now official girlfriend. He did adore her, they had a firm friendship that had segued into something more during trunk time and he loved it. She was also very good looking to his eyes, and had very womanly curves that just blew his mind. He was not without some experience with the opposite gender, but with Hermione it was different and he had been serious about his offer to her. He was just curious to know what she would make of the rest of his circumstances.

"I think I can free up sometime," Harry purred right back at her.

Hermione's smile turned even sultrier as she leaned forward and captured his lips in a kiss filled with promise.

Harry and Hermione, after they had finished amusing themselves in a way that had little to do with space ships or other science, decided to spend a little time out of Trunk Time. Instead they entered the common room late in the day and found it mostly empty. They had just spent a few days in trunk time meaning that it was early evening to everyone else, though to them it had been a morning, so they felt a little jet lagged. They took this with the ease born of long practice and instead sat down in front of the fire together and started to read snuggled up.

It wasn't long before they were found, this time by Ron who flashed them a grin, "I had a feeling you two would get together," he said, "After the way Harry looked at you on the way here," he added with a chuckle. "But where have you been," he said not letting them get a word in edgewise, "You missed all the excitement," he added.

"Excitement," Hermione asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah Filch's cat was petrified and hung up on a wall next to a sign that said something about the Heir of Slytherin," Ron said with an excited look on his face, "And I was starting to think nothing happened here, what with nothing happening since Halloween and the troll."

Hermione and Harry looked at each other sharing a smile, had it not been for that event they might never have gotten together. Of course Ron didn't know the exact details of that night, only the professors did, but it was still strangely enough a special night for them. Of course Ron missed the by-play entirely and instead starting going on about what had happened when almost the entire school had found the writing on the wall. Harry and Hermione shared another look, this time of sheer curiosity and then got up off the sofa and begged off Ron. Despite the fact that it was nearly curfew they both wanted to see for themselves what all the fuss was about.

Once out of the tower they made their way quickly to the scene of the crime and looked at the writing.

Harry's screwdriver was instantly in his hand and taking readings from the wall, the cat had already been removed but he was able to pick up trace signatures of where it had been.

"What is it Harry," Hermione asked reading the writing but noticing that Harry was frowning slightly.

"Chicken Blood," Harry said. "Not human," he added.

"Well that is a relief at least," Hermione said, "How do you, get a reading off that thing anyway, you've never said."

Harry grinned at her, "Let's just say the way we see the world isn't quite the same yet, but eventually I'll give you a glimpse."

"I'd like that, so what do you see the world like," Hermione asked looking around; she had a creeping feeling up her back at that moment in time.

Harry too had it, and looked around as well; it was like they were being watched.

The two teens shared a look and started to back away from the wall, when suddenly Harry perked up, "Did you hear that," he said.

"Hear what," Hermione asked.

"Obviously not," Harry countered with a smirk, "There's a voice... not a happy voice at that," he noted with some worry, "Come on we'd better get the hell away from here."

The two linked hands and then Harry led her on a run through the castle back towards Gryffindor tower.

Once there they exploded through the portrait and were faced with almost the entire tower looking at them funny.

"What," Harry said.

"Where have you been," Percy Weasley asked with his prefect hat on.

"I went to have a look at the wall," Harry said innocently.

That drew a gasp from the crowed Gryffindor's, "Why," one of them asked.

"Because I was curious," Harry said with a half frown.

"But why," Percy pressed.

"Because I'm always curious," Harry said with some sarcasm.

"I don't think it's good for a first year to be so interested in something so grizzly," Percy told them, "now everyone it's nearly time for lights out, and Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, I'm afraid I have to take points for being out after curfew," he told them with pomp.

Harry rolled his eyes; he honestly didn't care about the points system, though Hermione looked a little upset.

* * *

_**AN**__: For the purposes of this story, Hogwarts starts at 16, just in case you were confused. That means also that for the first year I'm crunching two books together, but the entire thing is amazingly AU anyway given the way Harry is and what he will be doing with his summers and other holidays ;) Thanks for reading and the amazing about of comments and reviews you have given me, this is one of my more popular stories ever by way of alerts etc and I thank you for that from the bottom of my heart. It's been so long since I last posted a chapter I went without a beta for his chapter to get it out there to you._

_Thanks,_

_Lu_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

After the excitement of the previous day Harry and Hermione both had decided that they would spend a few days away from their compatriots in the house and instead spend some trunk time, which was proving to be almost addictive to them. They were able to learn at their own pace and push back the boundaries in their own ways. They were working towards Harry's ship at the same time of course, with Harry currently working on combining tessaract theory with expansion charms, which was already showing dividends in that he had a cavernous sided trunk now that defied all logical explanation. It was ridiculously large in there and it was itself in an enlarged trunk.

Frankly, it made Hermione's mind hurt, but she just smiled when Harry explained it to her, and went with the flow for possibly the first, but not last time in her life.

The trunk though had taken her breath away, she was literally not able to see the opposing walls in the place and even when Harry provided a blinding Luminos spell it had not penetrated the darkness for all that far. It felt huge as well; sheer breath taking size archived with a little magical knowhow and time lord technology, though all she knew was the very basics of the Tessaract theory if she were totally honest with herself. The benefits though, it was mild boggling, obviously there was absolutely no use for a trunk that was god alone knows how big, but for their ship - that was another story.

"What's the plan," Hermione finally asked, her voice didn't echo, the walls were far too far apart for that.

"Plan," Harry said with a grin.

"There must be some plan behind all this expansion," Hermione pressed.

"Of course there is, I just like to watch you exasperated," Harry said nipping forward and pressing a quick, almost chaste kiss by her lips. "Essentially," Harry went on to say, "I have a basic floor plan in my head at this moment in time, the centre of the ship - which will actually look like a ship not a trunk," he said grinning, "will be a cavern, I intend to use some of the same climate control rune wards and spell work that is used in my trunk to create a forest there, we can use that forest and gardens to give us food, hell we could also have a few animals in there if we're careful with the ecology of it all, and then we have a sustainable food source and an oxygen factory all in one. Your oxygen scrubbers will be out back up and the Air filtration systems you're coming up with will make sure the air is clean and fresh. I even have an idea for adding scent to the forest's own air to make it more natural. Just imagine," he said sweeping his arms around him excitedly, "the things we could do with several such spaces in the ship, the central location will certainly be the biggest, but it won't be the only stupidly large room in the place."

Hermione found herself swept up in his excitement as well and was beaming at him, "A forest in a space ship," she said wide eyed.

"Yep, it's a common form of making air," he said glossing over the exact make up of a breathable atmosphere. "I've seen it before, of course we'll have to magical grow the plants first, I am going to send out an order tomorrow for my London address and then floo there, which should now be set up, and grab it all."

"You have a London address," Hermione said wide eyed.

"I did tell you about it," Harry said smirking.

"I didn't realise you were serious, I suppose I should have known better, so..." she paused, "Does that mean you'll really be spending Christmas on your own?"

"Probably," Harry said not noticing her sad tone. Then he smirked, "Unless you think your parents are ready to meet your boyfriend and hopefully future husband?"

Hermione swooned slightly when he said husband she had to admit, but covered it well by bluishing and stammering out a no.

Harry chuckled, "Don't worry, dad is always busy at that time of year."

"Christmas isn't so far away anymore," Hermione said, "For all the time we spend in here it seems time out there is sometimes going almost as fast."

"You don't find the lessons boring," Harry asked curiously.

"Yes," Hermione admitted, "But it's interesting to get a fully magical perspective on it all."

"Just wait until I grab the library," Harry said with another smirk, "We'll hardly need to turn up to class after that."

"Is that such a good idea," Hermione asked.

"Well, yes for two reasons, firstly, I learn at my own pace, something Dad has always encouraged and I'm used to that, and secondly because we'll need reference materials as time goes by, my library is pretty good I have to admit, but there are tomes in the school library that just don't exist anywhere else and I'm enough of a bibliophile to want a copy of them."

Hermione grinned at him, "Me to," she admitted.

"Want your own trunk," he asked, "To store it all in?"

Hermione smiled and nodded at him, "Can you really do that?"

"Sure, I am pretty sure I know exactly how this one was built now and as you can see my expansion charms don't need any help. I also have an idea for linking the library to a special access spell that will allow you to draw any book from the library you'll have, and me too for that matter, so you don't have to nip in the trunk every time you want a book."

"Oh Harry... kiss me," Hermione said drawing a smirk from Harry who did as he was asked. He knew his girlfriend very well and wasn't averse to using that knowledge to get a snog and he did so love the way she kissed.

Harry slipped out of the library in the quiet of late evening so that no one really took notice of him. He had left Hermione in the trunk to do as she pleased while he took some readings of the famous Hogwarts library with his sonic screwdriver and a ward diagram spell he had found in one of his books. The project to nick the libraries contents, well at least to copy it, was not going to be easy but he was already thinking of a few possible solutions.

Sometimes, it was good to be him. He had been brought up in a way that was totally alien literally, and that had made him expand his mind in ways that most humans couldn't even contemplate. He was literally open to the universe now and after that leap frog of discovery he had started to find out a lot about the universe all thanks to his saviour and father The Doctor. Had it not been for that wonderful man, Harry suspected that his life would be very different, probably nowhere near as much fun and he certainly wouldn't be able to soak up the current curriculum like it was nothing. He had some of the very best tutors time and space had to offer during his years with The Doctor who had made damn sure that his charge was as well educated as it was possible to be and given that he had time and space, those were some fine instructors he had been given.

Of course Hermione was starting to pick up pace as well, she was already bright but seemed to have taken it upon herself to try to catch up with him. He wasn't sure if it was a competitive streak or something else, but it did mean that he had high hopes for someday opening the universe for her as The Doctor had for him.

Harry slipped through the quiet hallways, mostly unnoticed by those that were still walking them with him. Since the other night he had been getting some very weird looks from his house, and he didn't like that one bit. Apparently curiosity about a half dead cat and a wall of blood writing had staked him as being a weirdo and whatever didn't fit into their world view was apparently to be shunned. Luckily, he could not give two hoots about that, but he did worry about Hermione being tarred with the same brush. Still, it could blow over and that was his preferred course of what could happen. He had seen looks like that before, though never directed at him, and that had never boded well. Humans could, on occasion, be petty and vindictive to those they didn't understand and it was likely they would never be able to understand Harry given the way he was brought up.

Suddenly, Harry heard raised voices up ahead which caused him to bring up his screwdriver and take some readings using the ward schema to connect to the room the voices were coming from. From the ward identification it was Snape and Quirrell in the room arguing and neither sounded happy. Without tapping into the listening wards Harry wasn't able to fully make out what was being said, but what little he could make out did not sound good. Also given the readings from his screwdriver, there was something not quite right about Quirrell either which was worrying. Harry wasn't quite sure what it was about the man, but something didn't register properly to the screwdrivers sensors though the wards themselves seemed indifferent to the odd black aura the man appeared to have.

The loud voices continued for a moment, raising enough that Harry made out a few words, Halloween, Dog, leg, and a few others that made little sense until he heard Corridor and it clicked. One of the two men had tried the corridor the headmaster had told them to stay away from, but for what reason?

Just then the door to the room slammed open and Harry ducked back into an alcove to stay out of sight and Quirrell stormed past with none of his usual demeanour showing through in fact he looked ready to hex Snape into oblivion. Harry stayed back out of view and waited for Snape to follow the man, which he did not do; instead Snape came out of the room and went in the other direction.

Curiouser and Curiouser, Harry decided.

There were a lot of really odd things going on in the castle, and Harry wasn't sure if that was normal operating standard or something that had started up recently. There was, however, one thing he was sure of, he needed more information and he needed it yesterday. It was all very interesting to a curious mind like his and what's more he felt that it was somehow linked to his destiny as well.

"Harry," Hermione said carefully, "What's that?"

"What this," Harry said indicating what he was working on. To the naked eye it looked like a small metallic as in Mithril spider. It had eight legs and several set's of eyes just like a spider but was no larger than half a matchbox. As Harry talked it twitched in its upside down state in the claw it was being held in place on the desk. Hermione eyed it nervously but nodded her agreement to Harry's question.

"It's based on something my father and I came across once out in the... what's it called now Ida Galaxy I think it was, nasty little buggers they were too," Harry told her with a wince, obviously there was some bad memories along for the ride on that one. "They nearly over ran the TARDIS on that trip but luckily the old girl is tougher than their stupid acid," he said with a grin.

"Right..." Hermione said not sure how to reply to that, "And you're making one here?"

"Good grief no, no way would I unleash those little buggers on this planet," he said with a frown, "no this is just my version of them. I had to construct them differently and I thought it would be a good time to test out a few design ideas I've had for the ship at the same time."

"The ship will look like a spider," Hermione said faintly horrified at the thought.

"No," Harry said laughing, "But I wanted to see what happens with some replication runes and a few other schemes I've been cooking up, I also installed a tiny version of the quantum computer into this little guy and wrote some basic AI routines."

"Artificial Intelligence," Hermione said sounding excited now.

"Yep, nothing amazing, some commands and given it the sense to figure out how to carry out those commands basically. It's not like its originator though, it will always been loyal to me and won't try to kill everything it can to get at the technology."

"Who on earth would create something like that," Hermione asked.

"You know I never thought to ask while the buggering thing was trying to spray acid at my home," Harry said with a smirk. "Instead we got out of there after a little scientific research of course. Dad tried to talk to them but for a change they were having none of it." Harry shuddered, "Hate to think what would happen if they managed to get in the gate system."

"Gate system," she asked.

"There are limited gates in the Ida Galaxy thankfully, but here and a couple of other galaxies then they would have spread like wildfire."

"Gate system," Hermione asked again.

"That's not a story you're ready to believe yet," Harry said with a grin, "But needless to say there is a system of planetary gates all linked to each other with an address system that one can use to travel from place to place. Now we tended to stay away from them because of the Goa'uld, who dad has tangled with before many times, well they aren't a nice race that subjugates other races under them. Luckily they virtually ignore planets that are not in this arm of the Milky Way or in fact are linked o the gate system, their own Hyper-drive system, that's a FTL, is not that impressive."

"Wow, aliens," Hermione commented, looking shocked she had known of course but this was one of the few occasions that Harry had really spoken about other races.

"There is a lot more back story to this I'll fill you in on at some point," Harry told her, "The most important thing I suppose is that the human race is a LOT older than you might think, and we're the Second such race to use this form."

Hermione looked pale so he let it lie there. "This little bugger though," he said indicating the spider like robot, "Is going to do some exploring for me, and some information gathering. Thanks to the Mithril, once charged he will be able to turn invisible too, as well as limited replication abilities that will allow a network to be built across the entire school."

"Why," Hermione asked.

"I overheard snippets of a conversation last night while I was casing the library and it intrigued me. There's a lot going on in this school and frankly that bothers me, I need to know what's going on here and as fast as possible. I could of course, sneak around myself, but this little bugger will do the job a lot better and then report to the central computer via the Trunks main access point. We can then pick up the information daily, outside time, and review the highlights."

"It's a spy bot," Hermione said with a slight grin, then frowned slightly, "You can't keep calling it little bugger though. For one thing it's rude."

Harry rolled his eyes, sat back and thought about it then grinned, "Beebob one," he said and touched the spider releasing it from its bindings. The small robot got off its back and to its tiny clicking feet and then turned to face him.

"Beebob," Hermione asked.

"Trips off the tongue don't you think. Bob for short."

The next day was a weekend, allowing Harry to try out something he had wanted to work on for a while, though it did carry with it a hint of risk of discovery. So they waited until everyone had gone to Hogsmeade as was the usual practice of every single student in the school and then went outside to the quidditch pitch. Other than a single figure sat way up in the stands with blonde hair, they were pretty much alone.

Hermione smiled, "What are you planning then," she asked.

Harry dropped his trunk on the floor and opened it up; bring out several of what looked to be model airplanes from the storage compartment. "Yesterday while I was picking up my plants I picked up a load of model airplane parts and then went about attaching different drive systems to them. Then I hooked them all up using ht Protean charm so that I can use the controller to not only control the planes but get a visual feedback as well," he explained to her.

"Drive systems," Hermione asked looking very interested but casting a wary eye to the figure in the stands.

Harry nodded, "Nothing that would be immediately obvious as to what it was, but yeah drive systems. I've been cooking up a few for a while now."

"For..." she leaned close, "The ship."

"Yep, though at the moment only sub light drives," he told her.

"What about FTL," she asked.

"I actually have an idea about that, but that's not something to work on until the Christmas holidays."

"Have I ever told you how much I 'appreciate' your brains," Hermione said with a purr.

Harry smiled charmingly at her, "No, feel free to though."

Hermione planted a kiss on his lips that curled his toes and then pulled back with a soft expiration of air and a twinkle in her eyes, "Now hurry up and test I have other things I want to do with you today."

"Yes Ma'am," Harry said with a big smile. He settled the first plane, of the four identical looking planes on the floor and picked up what appeared to be a large radio controller, it had a great many switches and buttons on it though and that wasn't counting the actual physical controllers for the plane itself. He selected a frequency; though it wasn't radio waves he was working on and then looked around. "Only that girl up there you reckon," he asked.

"As far as I can see," Hermione admitted, "Most of the staff is in town with the students."

"Good," harry said and triggered the small plane into motion.

This drew the attention of the girl that had been sat in the stands and she watched entranced as the little craft taxied across the Quidditch pitch and then finally took off. Her brilliant blue eyes widened as it shot off like a rocket, moving far faster than it should have been and quickly gained altitude moving off into the cloudy sky.

On the ground Harry was watching the small monitor mounted on the controller and directing the craft that way, also shown were things like altitude and speed and a few other things. "It's based on the quantum computer," Harry said, "knocked it up this morning."

"Only you could knock up a quantum computer," Hermione said laughing.

"Well," Harry said smirking, "I needed to record flight data properly, which it's doing see," he said moving the controller over so Hermione could see it. Suddenly there was a muffled boom across the school and Harry grinned, "Sonic wave," he explained as the small craft crossed the sound barrier still heading upwards.

Hermione shook her head but her grin was still present, neither noticed that curiosity was getting the better of their observer and she was starting to move down towards them.

On the screen the small craft suddenly grew a magical shield that dimmed the view slightly as the craft started to go through the layers of the atmosphere.

"You're going into space!"

"I know - cool huh, " Harry said, "This drive is based on a sonic attenuation drive linked up to a magically enhanced power source, well magic IS the power source just converted to something else."

"You can do that," Hermione asked surprised.

"Of course," Harry said sounding smug, "How do you think I converted the main power source to produce electricity," he asked.

"That bright one," she asked, "I hadn't realised you did."

"We've been running on that for about a week now," he told her, "Probably should have told you that."

"Yes," Hermione said dryly, "though it is nice to be able to use my hair dryer."

"Right," Harry said assertively, "Quick loop round the moon then I'll self destruct."

"Self destruct," Hermione said sounding surprised again.

"Yeah this is a drive test, nothing more than that and they aren't hooked up to get back into Earth's atmo."

"Oh," she said, "Why not really let it find its legs though, try for the nearest planet."

"Take too long," Harry said with an apologetic shrug. "Once I find out the best drive, though I think I already know which it'll be given my calculations, then we'll do a full out speed test."

"Okay," Hermione said with a slight pout.

"Excuse me," a slightly timed voice said from behind them.

Hermione turned in surprise to see the girl from the stands, "Hello," Hermione said pleasantly.

The blonde, who was actually quite lovely, smiled back looking a little shy though, "Can I ask - what are you doing?"

Hermione smiled at the taller girl, "Well we're flying some airplanes, model airplanes. That is a type..."

The girl cut her off though, "I know what it is, I suppose you could compare me to a Muggleborn," she said waiting for the hammer to fall, though she hoped it wouldn't with two obviously Muggleborn students.

"Half and half myself," Harry said half turning and flashing her a charming smile that made the blonde blush vividly, "Pleased to meet you," he told the girl before turning back to his loop of the moon, the engine was pushing the small craft at amazing speeds, still sub-light but rather fast in earth terms. Then again he was using thirtieth century technology to power the poor thing which without the magical shield would have disintegrated by now. In some ways he wasn't just testing the engines he was testing his special shielding as well, getting telemetry back from that too.

"Muggleborn also, "Hermione said with a smile, noting that while she was in 'plain clothes' the girl had a Slytherin robe thrown over her shoulders to help with the cold. She could only imagine what it was like to be 'sort of' a Muggleborn in a pureblood house like that.

"How are you getting that to fly here of all places," The girl asked, "Oh I'm Daphne by the way."

"Just some ward work," Harry hedged like crazy.

"He's really quite clever, "Hermione said with a fond smile.

"But really a model airplane here, I mean that's amazing isn't it," Daphne asked.

"Not as much as you might think," Harry said triggering the self destruct, "Okay plan B," he said.

"Plan B," Daphne asked, though she was still blushing.

"Yeah set up a few different models to see which carried on working," Harry lied easily, "That other one just went boom."

"Oh," Daphne said, "Isn't that expensive?"

"Can be, but ultimately worth it," Hermione said with a smile. "So... how are you enjoying Hogwarts, looks like you're in our year."

"I am," Daphne said, and then looked nervous, "It's alright I suppose."

"Oh," Hermione said as Harry got the next small craft ready to go, "Are you not liking it. I wouldn't blame you until we urh - went on a self study course we weren't either." Hermione said indicating herself and Harry. Harry nodded his agreement to that statement and quickly set the next plane into a taxi.

Daphne watched it go with a smile in her eyes, she did so love planes, and they were quite amazing to her even after being brought up in the Muggle world. "That's amazing," she said backing up her thoughts with words.

"Thanks," Harry said, then directed the craft upwards.

"I can't say I've ever seen one fly that fast before," she admitted.

Hermione chuckled behind her hand, wondering how they could get out of that one.

"Tachyon pulse drive," Harry answered truthfully and then laughed, "Just a lot of lift here for some reason."

"Oh," Daphne said not sure she believed that.

They settled into conversation between them Daphne finally feeling like she was connecting to someone her own age in the school, if not her own house which was a balm to a weary soul. In the end Harry went through all his planes and all the associated drive systems before packing it all away. At that point they went and sat in the stands and started to chat about a host of subjects never giving themselves away but just making conversation with someone they could tell felt a little the same way they did about the venerable school of Hogwarts.

* * *

_**AN:**__ Again they start at sixteen not 11, just to clarify This chapter is a little bit of filler but does advance the plot so bear with me, I've got a lot to get out in a fairly short amount of time while keeping everything running, so it's going to be fun for a while for me as writer to figure it all out. Currently I'm using a new piece of software to write my stories that will allow me to better plot out and write them, so I hope this will allow me to better keep up with updates. I'm invested in Harry Who right now because I think it has the potential to be an immersive universe in which to play. There's quite a lot to get through before I can really start having fun though so please to bear with me on that, for one thing I know some of you wonder why he still bothers with school, and I hope to have answered that in next chapter. Please do review, I love getting them, but IO also love to see my alerts total going up as well _

_Thanks for reading,_

_Lu_


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